BACKGROUND The leafcutter ant (Atta cephalotes) is associated with losses in the agricultural sector, due to its defoliating activity; for its control, biological, mechanical and chemical methods have been developed, the latter associated with adverse effects on human and environmental health. This research validated in the field for the control of the leafcutter ant (A. cephalotes) using a mixture of Beauveria bassiana and Trichoderma lignorum spores. METHODS The effectiveness from the combination of spores of B. bassiana and T. lignorum with an initial concentration of 2 × 109 spores/ml, in the following proportions of B. bassiana and T. lignorum, A (1:1), of each fungus. It was evaluated within the university campus, comparing it with two commercial formulations, Mycotrol (B. bassiana) and Mycobac (T. lignorum). Additionally, this formulation was evaluated in 49 nests distributed 16 in 14 locations in Colombia. The formulation application was carried out by direct application, using a pump at a speed of 10 ml/m2. The effectiveness was estimated from the reduction of the flow of ants, evaluating the statistically significant differences using the ANOVA and Tukey-test. RESULTS Effective control of 90% of the nests was observed in the field phase in 60 days, except in nests with areas > 50 m2 that were located in regions with high rainfall (annual average precipitation above 7000 mm), such as Buenaventura. CONCLUSIONS In this work, it was demonstrated that the combination of B. bassiana and T. lignorum spores represent a viable alternative for the control of the leafcutter ant, in which the effectiveness is related to several factors, including the size of the nest and the rainfall in the area.

中文翻译：

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球孢白僵菌和木霉木霉的孢子作为生物杀虫剂，用于控制Atta头足类动物。

背景技术由于切叶蚁（Atta cephalotes）的脱叶活性，其与农业部门的损失有关。为了控制它，已经开发了生物，机械和化学方法，后者与对人类和环境健康的不利影响有关。这项研究在现场验证了使用球孢白僵菌和木质木霉孢子的混合物控制切叶蚁（A. cephalotes）。方法初始浓度为2×109孢子/ ml的球孢白僵菌和木质假单胞菌的孢子组合的有效性，按以下比例分别以球茎假单胞菌和木质假单胞菌的比例A（1：1）菌。在大学校园内对其进行了评估，并将其与两种商业配方进行比较，即Mycotrol（B. bassiana）和Mycobac（T. lignorum）。另外，在哥伦比亚的14个位置分布16个的49个巢中对这种配方进行了评估。通过使用泵以10ml / m 2的速度直接施用进行制剂施用。通过减少蚂蚁的流量来评估有效性，并使用ANOVA和Tukey检验评估统计学上的显着差异。结果在野外阶段，在60天内观察到90％的燕窝得到了有效控制，除了面积大于50 m2的燕窝位于降雨较高（年平均降水量超过7000 mm）的地区（例如Buenaventura）。结论在这项工作中，证明了球孢杆菌和木质假单胞菌孢子的组合是控制切叶蚁的可行选择，其有效性与多种因素有关，