Solenopsis invicta Suppress Native Ant by Excluding Mutual Exploitation from the Invasive Mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis
Ai Ming Zhou1,2, Guang Wen Liang2, Ling Zeng2, Yong Yue Lu2 and Yi Juan Xu2*
1Hubei Insect Resources Utilization and Sustainable Pest Management, Key Laboratory, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
2Red Imported Fire Ant Research Center, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
* Corresponding author: [email protected]
Figure 1
Dynamics of ant foraging activity on plants in fire ant-infested plots and fire ant-free plots. A, Fire ants; B, Ghost ants.
Figure 2
Dynamics of ant foraging activity on ground in fire ant-infested plots and fire ant-free plots. A, Fire ants; B, Ghost ants.
Figure 3
Effects of ants’ tending on mealybug colony growth (A, mean growth rate; B, mean number of mummified mealybugs). Different letters above bars indicate statistically significant differences between the treatment and the control. A, Mann-Whitney test, P = 0.05; B, LSD test, P = 0.05.