Managing Social Insects of Urban Importance

Abstract

Social insects have a tremendous economic and social impact on urban communities. The rapid urbanization of the world has dramatically increased the incidence of urban pests. Human commerce has resulted in the spread of urban invasive species worldwide such that various species are now common to many major urban centers. We aim to highlight those social behaviors that can be exploited to control these pests with the minimal use of pesticides. Their cryptic behavior often prohibits the direct treatment of colonies. However, foraging and recruitment are essential aspects of their social behavior and expose workers to traps, baits, and pesticide applications. The advent of new chemistries has revolutionized the pest management strategies used to control them. In recent years, there has been an increased environmental awareness, especially in the urban community. Advances in molecular and microbial agents promise additional tools in developing integrated pest management programs against social insects.

Controlling yellow jackets with fipronil-based protein baits in urban recreational areas

“…V. pensylvanica is the most common pestiferous native yellow jacket in California (Wagner & Reierson 1971;Ebeling 1975). It belongs to the Vespula alascensis subgroup (formerly Vespula vulgaris) and scavenges for human foods (unlike beneficial species of yellow jackets, which are solely insectivorous), and hence, it is a major seasonal pest species, detrimentally interacting with humans wherever they co-exist (Ebeling 1975;Akre et al 1984;Akre & Macdonald 1986;Rust & Su 2012). Yellow jackets are attracted to places where proteins (in the form of meats) and carbohydrates (typically in the form of sugared beverages) are served outdoors.…”

Repellent Effects of Annona Crude Seed Extract on the Asian Subterranean Termite Coptotermes gestroi Wasmann (Isoptera:Rhinotermitidae)

“…Termites are serious structural pests of homes and wood structures in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world (Lee, 1971). Total worldwide damage and repair costs due to termite activity had been estimated to be about USD 40 billion annually (Rust & Su, 2012). Recent studies showed that plant derivatives such as pyrethrins, terpenoids, azadirachtin and flavanoids have excellent termiticidal activity (Sharma et al, 1994;Cornelius et al, 1997;Chen et al, 2001;Zhu et al, 2001a, b).…”

La leña como vía para la introducción de insectos. ¿Cuáles son los riesgos de las invasiones de hormigas en la Patagonia?

“…Their generalist diet and social lifestyle provide individual and colonylevel responses, enabling them to adjust to conditions in the new area (Rust and Su 2012;Ugelvig and Cremer 2012). Invasive ants are generally omnivorous and build superficial and/or ephemeral nests allowing them to move fast and colonize new sites when the environment becomes unsuitable.…”