Invasive fire ants prey on a variety of organisms in the southeastern USA, including the pipped eggs and hatchlings within sea turtle nests. The granular fire ant bait AMDRO® (active ingredient hydramethylnon) is currently used at some rookeries to protect nests, but no studies have been conducted to determine if the pesticide negatively impacts the eggs or the hatchlings. We examined the pesticide’s effect on loggerhead (Caretta caretta) nests at Juno Beach, Florida, USA, specifically targeting how exposure affected hatching success, hatchling emergence success, and the ability of the turtles to orient visually from the nest to the sea. Pesticide granules were placed within a 30 cm diameter circle on the sand directly above the nest during the final 5−10 days of incubation, representative of its typical application at nesting beaches. Cornmeal granules in soybean oil and untreated natural nests served as controls. AMDRO had no significant effect on hatching success or emergence success, nor did it result in any deficiencies in hatchling orientation accuracy. However, the pesticide and cornmeal control attracted other predators (Atlantic ghost crabs and avian species), in addition to fire ants, to the nest site, thus revealing the nest’s location and potentially increasing its vulnerability. Consequently, we suggest that its usage may not be beneficial at sites where predators other than ants are especially abundant.

中文翻译：

---

火蚁杀虫剂AMDRO对红海龟巢生产力和寻海方向的影响

入侵的火蚁捕食美国东南部的各种生物，包括海龟巢中的卵和幼龟。颗粒状火蚁诱饵 AMDRO®（活性成分 hydramethylnon）目前在一些鸟巢中用于保护巢穴，但尚未进行任何研究来确定杀虫剂是否会对鸡蛋或幼鸟产生负面影响。我们研究了农药对美国佛罗里达州朱诺海滩的蠵龟 (Caretta caretta) 巢穴的影响，特别针对暴露如何影响孵化成功、孵化成功以及海龟从巢穴到大海的视觉定位能力。在孵化的最后 5-10 天，农药颗粒被放置在巢上方沙子上直径 30 厘米的圆圈内，代表其在筑巢海滩的典型应用。大豆油中的玉米粉颗粒和未经处理的天然巢用作对照。AMDRO 对孵化成功或出苗成功没有显着影响，也没有导致孵化方向准确性的任何缺陷。然而，杀虫剂和玉米面控制将除火蚁外的其他捕食者（大西洋鬼蟹和鸟类）吸引到巢址，从而揭示巢穴的位置并可能增加其脆弱性。因此，我们建议在蚂蚁以外的捕食者特别多的地方使用它可能没有好处。除火蚁外，杀虫剂和玉米面控制还吸引了其他捕食者（大西洋鬼蟹和鸟类）到巢址，从而揭示巢穴的位置并可能增加其脆弱性。因此，我们建议在蚂蚁以外的捕食者特别多的地方使用它可能没有好处。除火蚁外，杀虫剂和玉米面控制还吸引了其他捕食者（大西洋鬼蟹和鸟类）到巢址，从而揭示巢穴的位置并可能增加其脆弱性。因此，我们建议在蚂蚁以外的捕食者特别多的地方使用它可能没有好处。