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Published on: July 21, 2016
Toxicity and repellency of borate-sucrose water baits to Argentine ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
J H Klotz1, L Greenberg, C Amrhein
1Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside 92521, USA.
Abstract:
The oral toxicity of boron compounds to the Argentine ant, Linepithema humile (Mayr), was evaluated in laboratory tests. The ants were provided 25% sucrose water containing 0.5 and 1% boric acid, disodium octaborate tetrahydrate, and borax. Lethal times of these solutions were a function of the concentration of boron. In field tests, the ants showed no discrimination between disodium octaborate tetrahydrate and boric acid. There was a significant reduction in consumption of sucrose water with > 1% boric acid.

