Production, characterization and pesticidal potential of Bacillus species metabolites against sugar ant (Camponotus consobrinus)

The use of biopesticides in pest management and pre-harvest disease and crop pest control have been advocated in recent years. This is because of their eco-friendliness and suitability for pest control in the agricultural industry. The objective of this study was to determine the antibacterial and pesticidal potential against sugar ant of metabolites produced by Bacillus species. The species were B. proteolyticus, B. thuringensis, B. cereus and B. subtilis. Metabolite production was carried out in batch experimental setup. The inoculated flasks were incubated in an incubator shaker for 120 h at temperature of 37 °C ± 2 °C. Metabolite extraction was carried out using the acid precipitation method. The crude metabolites were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS). Antibacterial activity of the metabolites was carried out both in agar and broth media while pesticidal potential was carried out using the diet-fed approach. All the metabolites showed antibacterial activity against the test pathogens used for investigation. This was irrespective of whether they were used singly or in combination. Generally, the rate of kill of the sugar ants by the respective metabolites was directly proportional to metabolite concentration in the diet. In the control diet setup with no added metabolite, no mortality was recorded throughout the period of incubation. The study findings gave an indication of the potential of these metabolites for possible control of phytopathogens.