[khilr]

I am writing this from Oman (in the middle east). I have an ant problem in my house that I acquired when I bought a couple of potted plants. I think it is the samsum ant (pachycondyla sennaarensis). It has a very painful stinger and gives my wife an urticarial reaction & sometimes a wheeze. I have searched the internet as much as I could to look for ant control measures for these ants. So this is my last chance. I do not know much about the food tastes of these ants and what possible slow-acting baits could be used against them.I would be very much obliged if somebody could give me some help with this.
Jamsheed.

[themouseman]

As with any ant species please get it properly identified. Samsum ant is a member of the fire ants. Have you tried importing from the United States a fire ant bait?

There are a few products below please check with your customs department to be appraised of your counties import restrictions on pesticides.

http://cmave.usda.ufl.edu/reprints/p...pansion_00.pdf

http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/...e_ant_bait.htm

Fire Ant Baits
How Ant Baits Work Ant Baits Used by Professionals
How to Properly Use Baits for Fire ants, Ants
Over the years, there have been numerous attempts to develop the perfect fire ant bait and every year the industry gets closer to its goal. Any bait designed to kill fire ants (or other ant pests) must contain the perfect mixture of a carrier, attractants and a killing agent or insecticide. This killing agent cannot be too strong. If the worker ants detect an insecticide in their food (bait) the food will be rejected by the entire colony. This detection could happen at different "check points" in the processing of an ant colony's food. Worker ants cannot eat solid foods (debunking the myth of Kill Ants with Grits) but they can drink liquids and carry solids back to the ant colony nursery. Ant larvae can digest solids. These solids are given back to workers (by regurgitating liquids) who (in turn) feed 10 or more other workers, who feed other workers -- eventually reaching the queen (or queens) and their workers. If a dangerous material (poisons, pesticides, etc.) are detected early enough in this chain of colony digestion of food, the contaminated food is earmarked by the entire colony. If "food source A" is found to be dangerous, the alarm goes out through the entire colony: "Do not eat food source A!" In this manner, the colony is protected.
As you can see, there is a delicate balance of insecticide and proper attractants in an ant bait. Too much insecticide will be rejected; too little insecticide will not be strong enough to penetrate to the inner workings of the ant colony.
There are several professional ant baits being used by pest control operators, golf courses and homeowners to combat fire ants. There are other baits which target carpenter ants which are not listed or discussed in this article.
The most popular (click on links for detailed information on each product):
Ascend Fire Ant Bait Extinguish Fire Ant Bait
Maxforce Fire ant Bait Maxforce Granular Bait Niban Granular Bait

Each fire ant bait has its advantages, whether it be its mode of action, areas where it may be used or simply affordability for each situation. This section summarizes each ant bait listed:
Ascend Fire Ant Bait is a bait preferred by those who need to broadcast bait over a large area but are on a more limited budget. When properly broadcasting a large area for control or prevention of ants, following label instructions might be quite expensive when covering several acres.
Extinguish Fire Ant Bait is a bait that may be used in graze lands and pastures. Its active ingredient (Methoprene) is not actually an insecticide, but an IGR which inhibits the reproduction of the queen and growth of immature ants, thus breaking the life cycle of the ant colony. This is a very slow acting product that can take 6 weeks to effectively destroy a colony.

Maxforce Fireant Bait is one of the newest from the Maxforce Baits product line, targeting fire ants. This product contains the same active ingredient as similar Maxforce products but at a much higher dosage.
Maxforce Granular Bait has been a strong performer for several areas. It targets ants, fire ants, crickets and roaches. Maxforce FG is a variant (containing smaller granular size) that is easily injected into wall voids for house cricket and pharaoh ant elimination.
Niban Granular Bait is a honey and boric acid bait that is labeled for killing ants, crickets, roaches and silverfish. Although it is not used extensively for outdoor fire ant elimination, Niban and Niban FG are both used indoors by many people for controlling targeted pests.

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Proper Use of Fire Ant Bait
Spot Treating Mounds Broadcasting Infested Areas with Bait
Baiting for ants of any kind (at least for those ants that will readily accept your bait) has distinct advantages: the ants do all the work and very little active ingredient is introduced into the environment. There are also disadvantages: cost of covering large areas, stability of material (rain can be an enemy) and timing of application.
The first mistake most people make (when using a fire ant bait, or other ant bait) is directly treating the mounds with the material. Although some bait labels will encourage you to apply their bait directly to the mound, we have found many ant control programs (large and small) that fail because of this method. If the size of your infested property prohibits proper broadcasting, you can achieve control by spot treating in the proper manner: apply bait around each individual mound where the material is easily found by the worker ants. It also helps to sprinkle ant bait in areas where fire ants are seen foraging for food.
Never "water in" ant baits. Many people confuse insecticide granules (used for broadcasting) and granular baits. Insecticide granules need water to release the active ingredient into the soil. Granular ant baits work best when applied at least 2 days before anticipated rainfall or irrigation. Many labels state that certain baits will hold up to normal rainfall but this is not always accurate. For best results, keep your granular bait dry for at least a couple of days to insure the ants will accept your bait readily.
Most outdoor ant baits should be broadcast over entire area (in the case of numerous mounds, severe imported fire ant infestations) in the spring and fall of the first two years. In summer months, spot treat individual mounds that might have survived the initial application or are the result of new colonies moving into the territory. When this method is employed, fewer mounds will be found on the property from year to year. The most popular baits used by professionals (when broadcasting an acre or more) are Ascend Fire Ant Bait, Maxforce Fire Ant Killer Granular Bait and Extinguish Fire Ant Bait. Fireant infestations located in pastures or graze lands should be treated with Extinguish. This product works very slow but is safe for cattle, horses, goats or other grazing animals.
Many baits require one pound of bait per acre. Read the label of your bait and follow the application rates when broadcasting large areas.
Much fire ant bait research is done in the above mentioned manner. In certain South American countries, fire ants are found in extremely large populations and are a constant danger to the people of small villages and farms. Researchers have found that by broadcasting baits over large areas they are able to greatly reduce the ant population and help create a safer environment for the people of the area.

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Disclaimer
Carpenter Ant Bait Fireant Bait Ant Baits Maxforce Baits

[khilr]

I agree with u in saying that the first step in controlling ants is to identify the species. I took a lot of trouble to identify the species but I was not aware that the samsum ant and the fire ant are the same thing. Well if u would like to help me identify my ant I could give u a good description of the worker ant. First of all it is a single-node ant. It is jet black, around 3 mm size, it has an irregular back, it has a stinger at the end of the abdomen. When I looked under the microscope there were 2 spurs on its legs one feather shaped and one spike shaped. From all these points and photos of the Pachycondyla I saw on the internet I deduced my ant must be of the genus Pachycondyla. I also found out that the pachycondyla species is known to cause anaphylaxis in other parts of the world. My ant as well is known to cause anaphylaxis and there have been a couple of deaths in our area in the recent years from the sting of this ant. I thing the species of pachycondyla found in the middle east is the Pachycondyla Sennaarensis. I feel I may have been wrong in thinking that the samsum ant and the Pachycondyla are the same thing. I had come across the name over the internet and maybe it was wrong information. Anyway, if u still have any suggestions for identification and control of this ant I would be really glad to hear it.

[themouseman]

You need to forward your ant in a vial containing alcohol 90% methal alcohol
The closest entomology department in a university appears to be in turkey.

Here is the link. http://www.members.tripod.com/~Cesa_1988/Katki.htm

Trying out different fire ant baits in your residence will give to a fairly quick idea if the ants will feed on it or not.

If it is idendified as a member of the fire ant family make very sure it does not have multiple queen structure. If you are sprasying any residual contact insecticide this will only make the queens scatter and start more coloneys

Hope it helps.