Anthropization drives in-door establishment, dispersal and food borne pathogens’ carrying capacity of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

The process of anthropization has resulted in the destruction of natural habitats for small invertebrates, causing many ants to become indoor pests and displacing native ant species in tropical regions. Specifically, Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius, 1793) and Monomorium floricola (Jerdon, 1851) (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) have emerged as invasive indoor pests, spreading across the tropics. The presence of these ants in ready-to-eat foods within residential apartments in Southwest Nigeria is a source for concern, as it poses a nuisance and irritation. This is attributed to the ants' recruitment habits, creating opportunistic competition for resources with other native indoor insects. Five ant species, namely Monomorium spp., Tapinoma spp., Camponotus spp., Solenopsis invicta and Solonopsis molesta were found to be abundant indoors in highly anthropized areas, while in low anthropized and preserved areas, the ant species were not abundant indoors. A significant difference was observed in the ant abundance among the three geographically anthropized areas. T. melanocephalum and M. floricola have the carrying capacity for both bacterial and fungal spores, but Camponotus maculatus (Fabricius, 1782) (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) carried more fungal foodborne pathogens, with its carrying capacity for fungal spores significantly higher (p < 0.05). Anthropization's impact increases indoor ant colony establishment, dispersal, and it triggers the transfer of foodborne pathogen loads. It has become imperative to control ants at home and in public places to avoid the incidence of ants’ vectored pathogenic food-borne disease outbreaks.