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

• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-24100-7
• Publication Date: 2022-11-16T19:02:36Z
• Authors: Filippo Frizzi; Paride Balzani; Alberto Masoni; Clara Frasconi Wendt; Matilde Marconi; Asia Rossi; Giacomo Santini
• Keywords: Neonicotinoid; Hormesis

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 non-target insects. Toxic economically important species such as bees been documented, but less is known about toxic action other social insects, ants. In this study, we assessed effect different doses imidacloprid ability colonies invasive ant Lasius neglectus select most profitable resource. We used Y-shaped mazes having an imidacloprid-polluted or unpolluted sucrose solution two branches. Two (0.1 M, 0.5 M) and (1 μg/ml, 10 μg/ml) concentrations were used. parallel, evaluated marking activity foragers who fed same solutions. found that 0.1 M sugar polluted with 1 μg/ml was significantly more frequently selected in binary choices experiments than Moreover, ingestion combination increased rate foragers. The higher concentration pollutant had lower effects, probably because hormesis phenomenon. Results suggest dose lead ants again This "active" selection may magnify negative colonies. Due ecological role, any impairment survival cascade whole ecosystem.