Urban ants of the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina: species survey and practical control

Abstract

Ants are among the most diverse, abundant and ecologically significant organisms on earth. They have colonized almost all existing habitats, including urban areas, where they may pose serious problems for human activities. Here, we present different aspects of our studies on urban ants in the city of Buenos Aires aimed at collecting information on the species present in the city and at improving bait control strategies via laboratory assays. The use of these baits represents a control strategy that is environment-friendly as it avoids indiscriminate pesticide release. Moreover, we show that our baits exhibit higher efficiency when compared to a commercial bait, as it is optimized in terms of the ants’ feeding behavior even when both have the same active compound and at the same concentration. This work represents the first integrative study on urban ants in the city of Buenos Aires and indicates that the control of invasive species in urban settings may be improved by increasing the scientific knowledge of the biology of the target species.