jump directly to content.
Principles. Crops. Pests. Control methods Library. Links.
key visual: online information service for Non-chemical Pest Management in the Tropics

Preventive control

Natural enemies

Parasites

1. Tiny parasitic fly (Pseudacteon tricuspus) is a parasite of the fire ant that originates from Brazil. A female fly stings and deposits her eggs inside the ant's body. As the maggot grows, it feeds, beheads, and stays in the ant's head to complete its development (Brenner, 1999).

Predators

  1. Frog
  2. Bird
  3. Lizard
  4. Snake
  5. Some human beings

Management and cultural practices

  1. Plow the field to destroy the ant colony and expose it to predators. Removal of weeds with a plow also disturbs the ants' activities and their nesting sites.
  2. Increase the seeding/seedling rate. This practice turns out cheaper than with the use of insecticide.
  3. Control mealybug, aphid, whitefly, and other insects that excrete honeydew. The ants are likely to be found in plants infested by these insects because they protect them for their food.
to the top        PAN Germany, OISAT; Email oisat@pan-germany.org