Oral Toxicity of a Boric Acid - Sucrose Water Bait to Florida Carpenter Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

The oral toxicity of boric acid to the Florida carpenter ant, Camponotus abdominalis floridanus (Buckley), was evaluated in laboratory tests. The ants were provided a sucrose water-based bait containing various concentrations of boric acid. Over the dosage range from 0.02 M (0.13% w/v) to 0.50 M (3.13% w/v) boric acid, median lethal times (LT₅₀s) (95% CL) ranged from 9.7 (8.1–13.3) days to 1.5 (1.2–1.7) days. Over the same dosage range (0.02 M to 0.50 M), LT₉₀s (95% CL) ranged from 27.1 (18.0–59.5) days to 4.2 (3.6–5.1) days. Some of the advantages of using boric acid as a bait toxicant for ants include its delayed activity and its solubility in water.