1 Department of Biology, National Changhua University of Education No.1, Jin De Road, Changhua City 50007, Taiwan *E-mail: cclin@cc.ncue.edu.tw 1. Introduction Abstract exhibit a unicolonial social structure, forming an expansive supercolony with multiple interconnected nests (polydomous), queens (polygynous), and displaying low levels of intraspecific aggression among these spatially separated nests (Errard et al., 2005; Le Breton et al., 2004). Recently, W. in East Asia region: auropunctata was discovered Taichung City, Taiwan in 2021 (Hsu et al., 2022; Lee et al., 2021), Guangdong Province, China in 2022 (Chen et al., 2022), and Okayama Prefecture, Japan in 2023 (Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan, 2023). In this paper, we examine the current status and establishment of W. auropunctata in Taiwan, the potential impacts it poses, and the monitoring and chemical control of W. auropunctata populations in this region. 2024 AIRIES The little fire ant, Wasmannia auropunctata, is an invasive tramp ant that causes damage on a global scale. Recently, this notorious ant species was first reported in Taiwan in 2021. This is considered the first confirmed case in the East Asian region. Colonies of W. auropunctata were found at two locations, i.e., Wuri and Heping districts in central Taiwan, which are separated by approximately 30 km. Both genetic and behavioral analyses revealed that the two populations were most likely introduced from a common source population, and form a unicolonial social structure. Furthermore, a microsatellite analysis showed that W. auropunctata populations in Taiwan also employ clonal reproduction. Because of its highly aggressive nature, we highlight the potential threats this invasive ant species poses to arthropod communities, agricultural systems and human health in this region, based on several field observations. A food lure method using potato chips was adopted to detect the presence of W. auropunctata. Since September 2021, the monitoring and chemical control of W. auropunctata populations have been addressed through a university-government partership. The eradication program included both ground and arboreal treatments. Ground treatments involved mixing granular baits containing pyriproxyfen (0.50w/w%) with granular baits containing hydramethylnon (0.73w/w%) at a ratio of 4:1, and then broadcasting the mixture onto the ground at an application rate of 2.5 kg/ha. Arboreal treatments involved spraying paste baits containing borax (2w/w%) at an application rate of 10 L/ha over tree trunks and vegetation. Key words: bait, chemical control, establishment, impact, little fire ant The little fire ant, Wasmannia auropunctata, is an invasive tramp ant that has been listed as one of the world’s 100 worst invasive species due to its serious impacts on native biodiversity and human health (Lowe et al., 2000). Wasmannia auropunctata is a tiny ant (workers ranging from 1.0 mm –1.5 mm) originating from Central and South America, that has been introduced to numerous tropical and subtropical regions worldwide through human-mediated dispersal. These regions include West Africa, the United States, Galapagos Islands and Middle East, as well as many Pacific and Caribbean Islands (Vonshak et al., 2010; Wetterer & Porter, 2003). Human-mediated dispersal, including the movement of infested nursery plants, soil, agricultural products and wooden pallets (Lubin, 1984; Roque-Albelo & Causton, 1999). Introduced populations of W. auropunctata tend to each containing multiple 151 Ching-Chen LEE1, Po-Cheng HSU1 and Chung-Chi LIN1,* Global Environmental Research 28/2024 151-158 printed in Japan Establishment and Management of the Little Fire Ant, Wasmannia auropunctata (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Taiwan
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