Sub-lethal doses of imidacloprid alter food selection in the invasive garden ant Lasius neglectus.

ABSTRACT: Despite several restrictions to their use, neonicotinoid insecticides are still widely employed worldwide. Residual sub-lethal amounts of these chemicals can have detrimental effects on the behavior of non-target insects. Toxic effects on economically important species such as bees have been widely documented, but less is known about their toxic action on other social insects, such as ants. In this study, we assessed the effect of different sub-lethal doses of the neonicotinoid imidacloprid on the ability of colonies of the invasive ant Lasius neglectus to select the most profitable resource. We used Y-shaped mazes having an imidacloprid-polluted or an unpolluted sucrose solution on the two branches. Two sucrose (0.1 M, 0.5 M) and two imidacloprid (1 μg/ml, 10 μg/ml) concentrations were us

SUBMITTER: Frizzi F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9995417 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature