Ma. Brinkman et Wa. Gardner, Enhanced activity of Beauveria bassiana to red imported fire ant workers (Hymenoptera : Formicidae) infected with Thelohania solenopsae, J AGR URB E, 17(4), 2000, pp. 191-195
R range of concentrations of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin conidia
was tested against red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, worker
s from colonies infected with the microsporidian, Thelohania solenopsae Kne
ll, Alien, and Hazard, and on workers from healthy colonies. Median lethal
concentrations (LC50) of B. bassiana in healthy and microsporidian-infected
colonies showed that fire ants from infected colonies were more susceptibl
e to B. bassiana infection than ants from healthy colonies. The LC50 of B.
bassiana in microsporidian-infected workers was 4.5X less than that of heal
thy colonies. Mortality of ante from T, solenopsae-infected colonies that w
ere treated with 9.66 x 10(6) B. bassiana colony forming units per cm(2) wa
s subadditive compared to either pathogen alone.