Food lure preferences of Brachymyrmex patagonicus Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Laboratory and field trials were initiated to investigate the food lure preference of Brachymyrmex patagonicus.  Multiple food lures were offered to ants in laboratory assays to determine food preferences of B. patagonicus under constant environmental conditions. All food lures were replicated a minimum of 5 times in both the laboratory and field. Observations of food lure attractiveness and ant recruitment (measured by counts of ants on food lures) were made. The top five preferred diets in the laboratory assays were then deployed in field trials to determine B. patagonicus food preferences under field conditions.  Seasonal data was collected in the field trials. Results indicate that B. patagonicus prefer carbohydrates with a seasonal shift to proteins.