An Interesting Case of Ant-Created Enemy-Free Space for Magnolia Scale (Hemiptera: Coccidae)

Ant-Exclusion to Promote Biological Control of Soft Scales (Hemiptera: Coccidae) on Woody Landscape Plants

“…Numbers of predators were not compared on these plants because relatively few were observed. Larvae of Ocytamus costatus (Say) (Diptera: Syrphidae), found feeding on magnolia scale at nearby (Ͻ100 m distant) infestation sites (Vanek and Potter 2010), were not observed at this site. Adult coccinellids were observed on the shrubs in mid-May; those seen approaching settled scale nymphs were deterred by ant attendants.…”

Honeydew-Producing Hemipterans in Florida Associated withNylanderia fulva(Hymenoptera: Formicidae), an Invasive Crazy Ant

“…Ants benefit from their association with hemipterans because their honeydew is an important source of carbohydrates (Stout 1979;Anderson & McShea 2001;Moya-Raygoza & Larsen 2008;Vanek & Potter 2010). Furthermore, hemipterans can serve as a protein resource if they are directly consumed by ants (Rosengren & Sundström 1991;Sakata 1994;Gullan 1997).…”

“…Ants protect hemipterans from natural enemies and they sometimes provide them shelter (Sheppard et al 1979;Stout 1979;Anderson & McShea 2001;Moya-Raygoza & Larsen 2008;Vanek & Potter 2010), thus allowing more hemipterans to survive and reproduce (Fritz 1982;Bristow 1983;Fowler & MacGarvin 1985;Buckley 1987). In addition, hemipterans that live inside ant nests (e.g., root feeding aphids and soft scales) are protected from climatic extremes (Buckley 1987).…”

Pavement ant Tetramorium caespitum (Linnaeus) (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

“…In North America, Tetramorium caespitum can be readily found in urban areas in the northeastern United States, the Midwest, and the Pacific Northwest, and it has been found in urban areas in other states as well. While it was predicted in 2008 that the pavement ant could spread to 23 other U.S. states and 5 Canadian provinces, more recent literature demonstrates that the pavement ant can already be found in nearly half of these states (Steiner et al 2008, Vanek and Potter 2010, Ellison et al 2012www.schoolofants.org).…”

“…One record suggests that Tetramorium caespitum can be troublesome because they defend agricultural aphid pests (Merickel and Clark 1994), although pavement ants are less protective of aphids than other common ants (Katayama and Suzuki 2003). In Kentucky, Tetramorium caesptium have been documented to build protective structures made of soil around Magnolia scale insects, significantly lowering the number of scales parasitized by flies and increasing damage to these plants (Vanek and Potter 2010). Ecologically, pavement ants may competitively exclude native ants from urban environments (Lessard and Buddle 2005).…”