Toxicity and sublethal effects of sulfoxaflor on the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta

- Sulfoxaflor is toxic to Solenopsis invicta at sublethal concentration.
- Colonies lose 100% of their weight in 2.00 μg/ml sulfoxaflor treatment after 28 days.
- Sulfoxaflor has negative impact on food consumption and aggressiveness of S. invicta.

To understand whether sulfoxaflor, a novel neonicotinoid, poses unacceptable risks to the environment, it is important to assess its effects on nontarget insects. Therefore, the effects of short-term exposure (28 days) of free-feeding sublethal concentrations (1-2 μg/ml) of sulfoxaflor to the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, were investigated. The following parameters were evaluated to determine the impact of exposure: colony growth, food consumption (sugar water and locusts), and interspecific interactions. Sulfoxaflor exposure produced significant negative effects on S. invicta colony growth, with cumulative colony weight losses of 83.36% and 100.00% after treatment with 1 μg/ml and 2 μg/ml, respectively. The consumption of sugar water (containing sulfoxaflor) of surviving colonies decreased with increasing sulfoxaflor concentration. Moreover, the consumption of locusts decreased after treatment with 2 μg/ml, but not 1 μg/ml, sulfoxaflor. Sulfoxaflor treatment for 14 days led to reduced aggressiveness of S. invicta workers in interspecific confrontations (S. invicta vs. unexposed Pheidole fervida), and their probability of survival of aggressive encounters was reduced significantly to 48% of that of control ants. Our results indicate that sublethal concentrations of sulfoxaflor are likely to have a negative impact on ants.

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