Effect of irradiation on the longevity and reproduction of Pheidole megacephala (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) queens

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dc.contributor.authorFollett, Peter A.
dc.contributor.authorTaniguchi, Glenn
dc.date.accessioned2008-03-15
dc.date.available2008-03-15
dc.date.issued2007-12
dc.description.abstractIrradiation is a quarantine treatment option to control ants and other hitchhiker pests on fresh horticultural products exported from Hawaii. The radiotolerance of the bigheaded ant, Pheidole megacephala (F.), was studied to determine a dose sufficient for its control. This ant was chosen as a representative species because it is a common hitchhiker and rearing methods in the laboratory have been developed. The desired response with irradiation treatment of ants is sterility of reproductive females. Queens from micro-colonies were irradiated at 60, 90, 120, or 150 Gy or left untreated as controls, then followed for 19 weeks to observe colony growth. In general, queen longevity, and the number of eggs, larvae, and pupae observed in the micro-colonies decreased with increasing irradiation dose. In the 60 Gy treatment, the number of eggs observed was reduced by 89.6% compared with the untreated controls. In the 120 Gy and 150 Gy treatments, the number of eggs observed was reduced by 99.5% and 98.5%, respectively, and no eggs were found after the first observation date at 7 days after treatment. No larvae or pupae were observed in the 90, 120, or 150 Gy treatments, suggesting these irradiation doses sterilized queens. This study suggests the USDA-APHIS-approved generic irradiation dose of 400 Gy is sufficient for the Formicidae. Information is needed on the radiotolerance of additional species of ants to confirm our findings.
dc.identifier.citationFollett PA, Taniguchi G. 2007. Effect of irradiation on the longevity and reproduction of Pheidole megacephala (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) queens. Proc Hawaiian Entomol Soc 39:43-48.
dc.identifier.issn0073-134X
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10125/841
dc.language.isoen-US
dc.publisherHawaiian Entomological Society
dc.subjectant control
dc.subjectdosage
dc.subjectegg hatchability
dc.subjectexports
dc.subjectHawaii
dc.subjectinsect pests
dc.subjectirradiation
dc.subjectlongevity
dc.subjectova
dc.subjectPheidole megacephala
dc.subjectpostharvest treatment
dc.subjectquarantine
dc.subjectquarantine pests
dc.subjectqueens
dc.titleEffect of irradiation on the longevity and reproduction of Pheidole megacephala (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) queens
dc.typeArticle
dc.type.dcmiText

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Volume 39 - December 2007 : Hawaiian Entomological Society