Development of a new formulation with entomopathogenic fungi and antagonists marketed by the company biotropical sa for the control of ant arriera of the genus atta

The wing ants of the genus atta are one of the main plagues of eucalyptus. studies have found that the arriera ant can cause large losses.the ethology of these insects makes their control by the means usually implemented for other insects ineffective. in order to achieve good control and management of these insect pests, insecticide products (which directly eliminate the only procreative queen of the anthill) or fungicides (to control the symbiotic fungus that feeds the ants) are required to be brought to the cameras. of culture.the development of attractants that can serve as vehicles for the evaluated formulations is required since the actual products currently available are restricted and must be withdrawn from the market in many markets in 2014 due to their high toxicity. there are biological control programs aimed at the search of strains of entomopathogenic fungi such as beauveria, metarhizium, paecilomyces, lecanicillium and antagonists such as trichoderma which have shown their effectiveness in infecting them and causing their death.

To develop a new formulation for the control of the ant ants of the genus atta with entomopathogenic fungi and antagonists commercialized by the company biotropical sa

The development of this product will be offered to the national and international growers of species currently affected by this problem, among which are fruit, forest, vegetables and grasses.in colombia the potential market for a product with attractant bases and entomopathogenic fungi effective for the control of colonies of the arriera ant is found throughout the national territory and countries of central and south america where it affects crops especially between 0 - 2000 meters above sea level. this market moves through agricultural warehouses distributed throughout the country for which it is a prerequisite that the project contemplates obtaining ica registration of the product to be developed. although there are no precise estimates of the damage generated by the ant arriera, it is considered one of the 5 most important pests in south america, affecting 86 plant species. according to data from the ministry of agriculture of the cultivated area (in hectares) in colombia of the species with the greatest economic impact attacked by ants, potential for the market, are: cassava (170,000), borojó (3000), papaya (5,000), citrus fruits (37,000), banana (29,000), cashew (420) and corn (160,000).