Does resource-mediated stress affect colony personality in leaf-cutting ants?

Background: Animal personality refers to behavioral consistency and propensity. In social insects, little is known about the interplay between colony personality and colony foraging. This study aimed to assess personality traits among colonies of the leaf-cutting ants Acromyrmex subterraneus subterraneus and Acromyrmex subterraneus molestans and examine their behavioral consistency when provided with a toxic substrate, nasturtium leaves [Tropaeolum majus L.

Mechanism of leaf-cutting ant colony suppression by fipronil used in attractive toxic baits.

Background: Attractive toxic baits are the prevailing method for managing leaf-cutting ants in the eucalypt forests planted for the production of pulp, paper, timber and charcoal. For successful use in these baits, the insecticidal compounds need to circumvent the typical defences of the eusocial leaf-cutting ants. The challenge is to have an insecticide in the bait that will not directly harm and/or compromise foraging workers, but that will eventually suppress the colony.