Acta Entomologica Sinica ›› 2024, Vol. 67 ›› Issue (12): 1696-1706.doi: 10.16380/j.kcxb.2024.12.012

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Research progresses and application prospects of chemical communication in the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

SHEN Jia-Cheng1,2, HOU You-Ming1,2,*   

  1.  (1. State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; 2. Fujian Province Key Laboratory of Insect Ecology, Fuzhou 350002, China)
  • Online:2024-12-20 Published:2025-01-22

Abstract: The red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, is an invasive pest that poses a serious threat to agricultural and forestry industries, people’s health, public facilities and biodiversity. Its extreme aggressiveness and strong environmental adaptability make the control of this species a significant challenge. As a soil-dwelling social insect, S. invicta relies primarily on its developed chemical communication system. S. invicta uses a variety of semiochemicals as carriers to efficiently transmit information with other organisms inside and outside nests, thereby coordinating the behavior of ant colonies and completing important life activities. Therefore, understanding the characteristics of the chemical communication of S. invicta may help to timely control the spread of this species. In this article, we focused on the chemical communication system of S. invicta, summarizing the regulatory roles of various important semiochemicals inside and outside the colonies of S. invicta in the social behaviors of ant colonies, including the trail pheromone and alarm pheromone of S. invicta during foraging and dealing with dangers, cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs)-based individual recognition inside and outside nests and necrophoric behavior, the ability of interspecies eavesdropping to other organisms and the queen pheromone for regulating the development direction of larval ants. We also reviewed and summerized the contemporary applications and problems of S. invicta semiochemicals, with the aim of providing a theoretical reference for its green prevention and control.

Key words: Solenopsis invicta, invasive species, social behavior, chemical communication, semiochemicals