2. Fire Ant Biocontrol Becky Haddad
Goodness!
Gracious!
Great Bugs of Fire!
Fire Ant Biocontrol
Becky Haddad

3. Introduction Becky Haddad Agricultural Education Biotech
Sports, Music and Scrapbooking

4. So Why Fire Ants? Mississippi USDA-ARS Biocontrol
Other uses for controls
Image courtesy of PetFoto.com

5. What are fire ants anyway?
Solenopsis invicta
Invasive species
Identified in Alabama by Ed Wilson
Red Imported Fire ants (solenopsis invicta) were introduced accidentally to the United States via shipping from South America in the 1930s. There are over 280 species world wide. They were first identified in the United States by 13 year old Ed Wilson of Alabama.
Image courtesy of Wikipedia

6. Benefits Feed on insects, larvae and other pests
Reduce the need for insecticides
Image courtesy of Flickr

7. What’s the problem? Sting Colonies Extremely Resilient Global issue
Environmental
Fire ants release a small molecule venom in their sting that is toxic to humans. In fact, 1% of the population world wide is extremely allergic. #1 pest in the world.
Ants operate in a complex social structure that makes penetration into the colonies difficult. They operate with workers, soldiers, queens…
RIFA are extremely resilient against drought and flooding. They are also extremely strong with workers able to lift 10 times more than their body weight.
The red imported fire ant specifically affects 14 of our United States as well as various countries around the world including Taiwan, China, New Zealand and Australia as well as Puerto Rico.
Image courtesy of Wikipedia

8. The attack Pheromones Senses Bite Sting
Ant pheremones serve a variety of purposes, but when it comes to the attack, the venom released attracts other ants to the enemy, and since ants can’t see or hear very well they rely on pheremone trails for information regarding their path. RIFA bite with their pincers and then sink a stinger into the skin of whatever they are attacking that releases the venom, causing not only a painful burning sting, but generally causing swelling and redness as well.
Images courtesy of White Knight Pest Control and IPM World Textbook

9. Control Methods Bait Synthetic Toxins Environmental Friendliness
Biocontrol
Images courtesy of Amdro

10. Product Development Know Very Specialized
Source (Both of toxin and bait)
Attract
Good Toxin (bait source)
Attractive to ants
Carry
Water resistant carrier
Easily spread to colony
Spread
Workers carry to the colony
Days to get to the queen

11. Challenges Attractive bait Water resistance Binding material
Granules
Specialization
Slow acting toxin
Natural chemicals

12. Control Sources Other insects Synthetics Future Population maintenance
Competition chemicals
Phorid flies
Synthetics
Future
Plants
Insects
Bacteria
Population maintenance
Phorid flies
Images courtesy of Southern IPM Center

13. Benefits to Biocontrols
Ecofriendly control
Aid in other systems
Little effect on human health
“Fewer” risks
--no granules for kids or other animals to get in to.
Images courtesy of Multimania

14. Future Developments Other toxin sources Biofuel development
Images courtesy of USDA-ARS

15. Conclusion Century of problems Challenges
Biocontrol lends effective control with a future
Images courtesy of Alex Wild Photography

16. Resources
Chen, Jian. Telephone Interview by Becky Haddad. 17.Feb Feb 2011.
Wilson, Ed, Perf. Lord of the Ants. Dir. NOVA." PBS.org: 2008, YouTube.
Oi, D.H., Valles, S.M Fire ant control with Entomopathogens in the USA. Book Chapter. In: Hajek A.E., Glare, T.R., O'Callaghan M. editors. Use of Microbes for control and eradication of invasive arthropods. p
University of Arkansas Divisions of Agriculture, . "Conference Proceedings." 2010 Imported Fire Ant Conference Proceedings. John D. Hopkins: Little Rock, AR, eXtension PDF. <
Various. “Putting out the Fire."USDA Agricultural Research Service. USDA, 05 Mar Web. 19 Feb < >.
Texas A&M University, . "History, Managing Fire Ants, Research and Informational Materials." Texas Imported Fire Ant Management Project. Texas A&M University Department of Entomology, n.d. Web. 17 Feb <
Sternberg, Troy, Gad Perry, and Carlton Britton. "Grass Repellency to the Red Fire Ant."Rangeland, Ecology and Management 59.3 (2006): Web. 17 Feb <
Whole Gecko eaten by ants.