Using odor absorbed filter papers and canines to detect off-site fire ants

In this study, the efficacy of filter paper to adsorb scents of red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, was tested by a dog that previously trained for live fire ant detection. The dog’s detection threshold and the shelf-life of the scents on paper were following examined. Finally, paper that were placed in the under ground cable chutes with or without fire ant infestation, were recovered for the dog’s inspection. No significant differences were observed between the dog’s responses to 10 live fire ants and the paper which were laid with 100 fire ants for four hours. The dog showed > 96% chance in identifying the paper laid with more than 50 fire ants for four hours. In addition, 10 fire ants could also be detected ( > 94% ) when laid with paper upon 24 hours. Scents on the paper remained active for 32 days when they were stored at 4℃ or below. In the field, paper recovered from under ground cable chutes with fire ant infestation could be indicated by the dog with 60% and 100% positive indication rates. These results suggested that scents of the fire ant could be adsorbed by the filter paper and offered for dog examination off-site. This scents collector has potential to be applied in fire ant detection in the narrow or hard-to-reach places, and reduce the labor cost in the quarantine. Further more, it could also be used as a scent device for canine training in the fire ant-free area.