Abstract
The use of synthetic organic pesticides has serious economic, social and environmental ramifications. Thus, this study describes the experiments using botanical and bacterial extracts to control the samsum ant (Pachycondyla sennaarensis). This ant is widely distributed in many parts of southern Saudi Arabia, and has been established as a household pest ant. Three Saudi plants, harmal (Rhaza stricta), boxthorn (Lycium shawii) and artemisia (Artemisia inculta) and two bacterial extracts, Pseudomonas frederiksbergensis and Streptomyces sp. were tested in a minced meat bait against the workers of samsum ant. Among the plant extracts tested, at a concentration of 0.3 mg of the-plant extract of boxthorn per gram of food exhibited the highest toxicity to samsum ants, causing 20.30 % mortality per day and 100 % average death rate of all the ants in 4.9 days. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that the bacterial extract of Streptomyces sp. was the most effective agent to control these ants, with the average death rate at 30 ants per day at a concentration of 0.3 mg/g food.