Biological Control Using Ants: Current Status, Opportunities, and Limitations

Abstract

Interest in biological pest control using ants in agroforestry and agricultural systems has increased in recent decades due to the diversity and abundance of these insects in different ecosystems. Biological pest control has emerged as an alternative to reduce the impact of production on agroecosystems, and ants play a crucial role in this context. Therefore, this study aimed, based on an extensive and rigorous literature review, to describe the potential of ants as biological control agents, as well as the pests that have been targeted by this control. The search was carried out between July and November 2023, using databases such as Lilacs, Scielo, and Google Scholar. The selected descriptors were “Predatory ants”, “Natural enemy ants”, and “Chemical defense ants”, used in Portuguese, English, and Spanish. These terms were used in isolation and with the Boolean operator “AND”. A total of 47 articles published between 1976 and 2023 were reviewed. The results showed that 34 genera and 70 species of ants have potential for use in biological control. Among the most notable genera are Camponotus, Crematogaster, Oecophylla, Pheidole, Solenopsis, and Wasmannia. Their role as biological control agents can be complementary, contributing to the maintenance and balance of agroecosystems through pest predation, which can reach 100% efficiency. The predatory potential of ants has been verified, with an emphasis on biological control against invertebrate pests of cultivated plants. Among the pests potentially controlled by ants are mites, coleopterans, fruit flies, bedbugs, lepidopterans, thrips, mollusks, and other ants. The scientific literature already contains robust evidence proving the potential of ants as biological control agents, especially for invertebrate pests.