Research on the Attraction Effects of Two Kinds of Animal Fats and Oils onSolenopsis invicta in the Field

Solenopsis invicta is one of the alien invasive organisms that cause serious harm in China. Bait control is currently the primary field control method, and screening out attractants with stable performance and outstanding attraction is one of the crucial steps in bait production.During the active foraging period of Solenopsis invicta（May）, the attraction effects of two kinds of animal fats and ham sausages on Solenopsis invicta in the field under different ant nest conditions（mature, initial, and areas without visible ant nests）were compared. The attraction performance of the attractants was evaluated through five indicators, namely the initial appearance time, the number of attracted ants, the average attraction rate, the percentage difference in the relative attraction rate, and the relative attraction rate.The results showed that in the area of mature ant nests, the attraction effect of animal fat 2 on Solenopsis invicta was significantly better than that of animal fat 1 and ham sausages. This was reflected in that its initial appearance time was extremely significantly faster, the number of attracted ants was extremely significantly larger, and both the average attraction rate and the relative attraction rate were higher. In the area of initial ant nests, animal fat 2 also had an advantage. Although there was no significant difference in the initial appearance time among animal fat 2, ham sausages and animal fat 1, the number of attracted ants was extremely significantly greater than that of ham sausages, and both the average attraction rate and the relative attraction rate were higher than those of animal fat 1. In the area without visible ant nests, due to the low occurrence degree of Solenopsis invicta, the numbers of attracted ants by the three attractants were all small and the differences were not significant. However, the average attraction rates and relative attraction rates of the two kinds of animal fats were higher than those of ham sausages.In conclusion, both of the two kinds of animal fats have good attraction effects on Solenopsis invicta and can be selected as attractants for the production of Solenopsis invicta baits.