Fire Ant Project Logo Fire Ant Trails:

News from the Texas Imported Fire Ant
Research & Management Plan October 2000 Vol. IV No. 2

Table of Contents

Research Highlight Leaflet Developed by Texas A&M University
Professionals Train to Combat Fire Ants
The Sudden Appearance of Fire Ant Mounds
New Fact Sheets
Fire Ant Management in the News

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT LEAFLET DEVELOPED BY TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY

Enclosed with this newsletter issue is a copy of the new leaflet describing efforts being made by the Texas Imported Fire Ant Research & Management Project at the Texas A&M University System, which includes the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station (TAES) and the Texas Agricultural Extension Service (TAEX). I thank Beth Barbee, Extension Assistant in Agricultural Communications for developing this leaflet. Limited numbers of copies are available upon request by contacting the Fire Ant Project office (979/845-5878).

PROFESSIONALS TRAIN TO COMBAT FIRE ANTS - Lorri Jones, Communications Specialist

The combat force on the fight against the Texas imported red fire ant grew in September as the Texas Agricultural Extension Service trained licensed pest control operators how to assist with neighborhood-wide fire ant treatment.

"Getting PCOs on the team to fight fire ants is an important step because they are already in the neighborhoods treating homes and lawns," Paul Nester, extension agent for integrated pest management, said. "If they can be available to assist with community-wide programs, we will greatly extend the reach of the Texas Imported Red Fire Ant Program."

PCOs from around Harris County attended a one-day workshop in which Extension introduced them to the "Community-Wide" concept of fire ant control and how it might be incorporated into a pest management business as a service offered to community organizations.

"We can teach residents better ways to treat their individual yards, but the effectiveness of that treatment increases greatly when the whole neighborhood works together on the same treatment schedule," Nester said.

Professionals received subject based training on the importance of preserving native ants, because they serve an environmental role in the Texas habitat and they are a natural enemy of the imported red fire ant. The PCOs also learned about advancements in application techniques, new products and current research in ant biology.

The Extension Service designated the individuals who completed the training as being knowledgeable in community-wide programs. The state-wide Fire Ant project web site will now be equipped with a link for communities in Harris County who want to organize a cooperative treatment effort. Residents will be able to identify PCOs trained to assist with their neighborhood effort.

Similar training events are scheduled for Dallas, Austin and San Antonio next spring.

For more information regarding the Texas Imported Red Fire Ant Program in the Houston Area, call the Extension Service at 281-855-5600, or visit the web site: http://fireant.tamu.edu.


THE SUDDEN APPEARANCE OF FIRE ANT MOUNDS

Recent fall rains in much of Texas have enabled red imported fire ants, that were already present after surviving the long hot summer, to become active. They are rapidly building up their mounds because they are now able to move soil and because they have been forced to the surface to escape from saturated soils. Colonies are also migrating frequently in search of better nesting sites, and are in the process of producing a lot of brood brood (eggs, larvae and pupae) during these mild temperature conditions.

Those people that have maintained treatments, particularly routine (once or twice per year) broadcast applications of fire ant bait products, should see fewer mounds in their treated areas. In smaller treated lawns, however, ant colonies will be migrating into treated areas from neighboring untreated areas.

Broadcast application of fire ant bait products now will reduce numbers and size of colonies relatively slowly. With hydramethylnon baits (Amdro®, Seige®) and spinosad (Justice®, Eliminator®), suppression should occur withing 2 to 6 weeks after application, but with Insect Growth Regulator (IGR) bait products like those containing methoprene (Extinguish®), fenoxycarb (Logic® or Award®) or pyriproxyfen (Specracide® Ant Bait or Distance®), suppression will not occur until next spring.

In the mean time, this is the time to use some faster acting products like baits (Amdro® or Eliminator® applied as mound treatments) or contact insecticide products like dusts (Orthene® containing acephate, Bengle® UltraDust® Fire Ant Killer containing deltamethrin), granules (diazinon and orthers) or liquid drenches (liquid formulations containing various ingredients or powders to be mixed with water) to eliminate "nuisance" colonies more quickly.

The "take home message" with the "sudden appearance" of imported fire ant mounds after rainy periods is: maintain a good control program like the "Two-Step Method for Fire Ant Control" and try to encourage your neighbors to join in on the effort so ants in larger areas, such as entire city blocks, are controlled. Visit your local County Extension Service or our web site, http://fireant.tamu.edu, for detailed information.


NEW FACT SHEETS:

FIRE ANT MANAGEMENT IN THE NEWS:
Drees, B. M., J. A. Reinert and S. B. Vinson. 2000. Designing Against Pests, Red Imported Fire Ants May Find Some Landscape Design Elements Unattractive, TNLA Green Magazine, 2(6):14-16; and Ornamental Outlook 9(9):37-38.
Tuxbury, G. "'Texas Two Step' Still Best For Fire Ants", Southwest Farm Press, Sept. 7, 2000.
Wagoner, M. J. GIS Bites Back - Hot on the Trail of Texas Fire Ants. GeoSpacial Solutions, October issue, pp. 24-29.

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Prepared by: Bastiaan "Bart" M. Drees,
Director, Texas Imported Fire Ant Project

Drees Signature

 


Department of Entomology
412 Minnie Belle Heep Bldg.
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas 77843-2475
409/845-5878; FAX: 409/845-7029
b-drees@tamu.edu; http://fireant.tamu.edu

The information given herein is for educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by the Texas Agricultural Extension Service or the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station is implied.