Potential for Use of Erythritol as a Socially Transferrable Ingested Insecticide for Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Abstract

Ants are significant structural and agricultural pests, generating a need for human-safe and effective insecticides for ant control. Erythritol, a sugar alcohol used in many commercial food products, reduces survival in diverse insect taxa including fruit flies, termites, and mosquitos. Erythritol also decreases longevity in red imported fire ants; however, its effects on other ant species and its ability to be transferred to naïve colony members at toxic doses have not been explored. Here, we show that erythritol decreases survival in Tetramorium immigrans Santschi (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in a concentration-dependent manner. Access to ad-libitum water reduced the toxic effects of erythritol, but worker mortality was still increased over controls with ad-lib water. Foraging T. immigrans workers transferred erythritol at lethal levels to nest mates that had not directly ingested erythritol. Similar patterns of mortality following erythritol ingestion were observed in Formica glacialis Wheeler (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Camponotus subarbatus Emery (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), and Camponotus chromaiodes Bolton (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). These findings suggest that erythritol may be a highly effective insecticide for several genera of ants. Erythritol’s potential effectiveness in social insect control is augmented by its spread at lethal levels through ant colonies via social transfer (trophallaxis) between workers.

Synthetic and Natural Insecticides: Gas, Liquid, Gel and Solid Formulations for Stored-Product and Food-Industry Pest Control

“…The second innovative approach regarding liquid baits is associated with recent discoveries of the insecticide properties of artificial sweeteners (derived from plant extracts or manufactured by chemical synthesis) that may serve as low-energy substitutes for naturally occurring sugars [ 276 ]. For example, experiments revealed that a polyalcohol erythritol sweetener was toxic when ingested by some Drosophila flies [ 277 ] and that it might be an effective insecticide for several genera of ants [ 278 ]. Ingestion of sweeteners by insects can lead to significant physiological effects, such as mortality, decreased fecundity, and behavioral changes [ 276 ].…”

Sugar alcohols have the potential as bee-safe feeding stimulants for wasp control

“…Likewise, erythritol preferences differed across wasps and bees: Erythritol acted as a feeding stimulant in common wasps but not in bumble bees, and honey bees preferred water over erythritol solution. Erythritol is non-nutritive for all tested insect species (the honey bee 17 and several fly species 30,31,34,36,37 ), and it is toxic for several insect species (some fly species 36,[40][41][42][43][44][45] , yellow fever mosquito 46 , some ant species 47,48 , pear psylla 49 , eastern subterranean termite 50 ). Correspondingly, the low survival rate of erythritol-fed wasps suggests that erythritol is non-nutritive for the common wasp.…”

“…Xylitol and erythritol are toxic to several insect species and their use as insecticides has been suggested 36,40,49,50,[41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48] . Xylitol consumption has only been tested in flies.…”

Naturally Occurring Compounds/Materials as Alternatives to Synthetic Chemical Insecticides for Use in Fire Ant Management

“…The toxicity of erythritol was well documented for many other insect species, such as fruit fly [28], termites [29], house fly and stable fly [30,31], pear psylla [32]. mosquitoes [33], and pavement ant, Tetramorium immigrans Santschi [34].…”