FireRANT

We have set up shop at our new home, The FireRANT! It's a different URL than the one listed below, and unless we become the skilled web nerds we fancy ourselves, it may change again. We'll let you know of any issues, but please, come visit!

So what's that mean for version 1.0? Well, this site is officially unofficial. We'll keep it live for as long as we can, and hopefully can archive the entries either at the new FireRANT! or on Fire Ant Free, our sister site, which is *ahem* under construction...but still check it out. We'll be posting new stuff at the new site and we're excited for its upgraded capabilities.

And we hope to get more feedback from you, dear reader. See on the other side!

UPDATE: So it looks like when you click on the links above, it adds this URL to the URL you're trying to visit. Ugh. Just delete the preceding address and you'll stop by our new home.

UPDATE UPDATE: Problem fixed! 

What in the name of Crocodile Dundee is going on in Australia?  Here's a fun challenge.  Type "Fire Ant Control Centre" into a search engine, such as Google.  Check out the first listing.  This is inded the Fire Ant Control Centre we referenced in our last post...but it's advising people not to mail them live fire ants.  Just thought that was kind of funny.

Since our blog software is kind of lame, we can't post a screenshot.  We're going to be moving hosts soon, so we'll keep you up to date on that.  

We are very excited about the warm summer ahead and pleasantly surprised with the mild winter that pasted.  But when all said and done, what does this mean for invasive species?

According to Australia's Courier-Mail, a warmer winter means more fire ants down under.  The warm, dry winter is preserving fire ants and giving them the means to make it through a season that is traditionally difficult for fire ants:

Dry conditions mean the exotic pest can burrow more than 10m down in search of moisture, making detection more difficult.

If you see one fire ant, beware, because where’s there’s one, there are bound to be many, many more.  Think about it: 10 meters is close to 32 feet!  If in fact fire ants are living more than 10 meters below the surface, the actual amount of fire ants nesting in one mound is endless.  A colony can number in the millions.

According to Jenny Bibo, community engagement manager of Australia’s Fire Ant Control Centre, fire ants are"on the downward trend but there is still a tail – ants are still out there to be found.” 

We can take this research and use it here in the States.  With neighborhood programs we have the opportunity to take these pests by storm.  Working on one home at a time will only help the problem sort term.

But we want to pose a question: Are fire ants on a downward spiral here in America?  Our bet is no.  What have you seen in your yards or labs?

The Associated Press had an impressive story today about a naturally occurring disease that knocks out fire ants. The virus, known as SINV-1, is said to be able to wipe out a colony of fire ants in three months.

The AP notes,

"Although it occurs naturally in fire ants, the virus needs a stressor before it becomes deadly and begins replicating within a colony, Valles said.

Integrating the virus into ant baits could offer a tool to the pest-control industry, agricultural producers and harvesters, consumers and others for whom fire ants are a persistent problem."

It doesn't talk about what type of stressor will set off the virus, nor does it mention how the bug attacks the...bugs. We know that ingredients like fipronil render fire ants' nervous systems useless, and indoxacarb does a similar job. The most interesting development of this whole thing is the potential to infuse the virus into a fire ant killer product.

No doubt it will take some time to develop that, since the USDA has known about SINV-1 for five years now. Until then, there's always the Two-Step.

After reading about Texas trying to fight fire ants with a natural predator, I thought it only fair to do a little research myself.

There are natural ways to kill fire ants, but neither has been practiced to their full extent.  Thelohania is a microbial pathogen which affects the queen the most.  The abdomen of the queen becomes smaller and develops cysts, which causes fewer eggs.  A diseased colony becomes weak and cannot fend off other colonies.  The great thing about other colonies taking over is that they too become diseased.  However, this practice does not happen on a large scale.  There are quite a few places in the South that have put into practice the use of thelohania.  For more information, go to http://fireant.ifas.ufl.edu/disease.htm.

The second natural killer of fire ants is the phorid fly.  The female phorid fly injects an egg into the head of a fire ant and 10 days later the egg hatches.  Once hatched, the phorid fly eats the inside of the fire ant and the head of the fire ant falls off.  So one phorid fly takes out one fire ant. 

The long term effect is that fire ants become worried about phorid flies so the fire ant no longer forages for food as much; thus causing a dwindling colony.  The problem with this is that the phorid fly is only efficient in South America because of the number of species of phorid flies.  In the United States, we have too few species of phorid fly and they have not yet been effective.  For more information on the phorid fly and its use as a natural predator, check out http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~gilbert/research/fireants/fireant.html.

So with Texas looking to invest in phorid flies, I can only hope they are looking to import a wide variety of phorid flies in order to have any effect on our own imported fire ants.  And if you’re not a phorid fly farmer, your best bet is to treat with a fire ant killer in tandem with your neighbors.  Try the Over ‘n Out Two-Step Method to help you with these pesky insects.  It’s a proven combination, using a fast-acting individual mound treatment, followed by a sweeping broadcast treatment.  More later!

In an effort to educate the public on the harm caused by fire ants, along with treatments available, Fire Ant Awareness Day has been declared! The first Fire Ant Awareness Day is set for next Tuesday, April 17, 2007.

The makers of Over ‘n Out Fire Ant Killer and a coalition of a lot of important people including; lawmakers, researchers, and extension agents across the country are joining forces to initiate the first-ever Fire Ant Awareness Day. The mission of the day is to promote fire ant education and treatment options among homeowners and families, and to build a list of signatures petitioning to form a nationally recognized day to further the cause.

Various events across the nation, cities including Charlotte, N.C., New Orleans, Dallas, and Phoenix, Ariz., are taking place on April 17, 2007 to help address this issue as a part of an educational campaign aimed to raise public awareness of harm caused by red imported fire ants to people, pets, and property.

For more information on Fire Ant Awareness Day and treatments visit www.fireantfree.com.

Tim Davis, fire ant suppression specialist with Clemson University, wanted to shed some light on a common question about fire ant treatment.  So here's the question of the day.

Question
Do grits really work for controlling fire ants?

Answer
The theory behind the use of grits as a fire ant management is the ants will eat the grits.  Once in the stomach the grits will swell causing the fire ant to explode.  Remember, however, fire ants do not eat solid food therefore this theory does not work.   Research plots have indeed demonstrated this method does not reduce fire ant mounds at all.  This theory may have its origin in the fact that defatted corn grit is used as a carrier for most of the fire ant bait products.

So there you have it.  Grits are not an effective way to treat for fire ants.  Fire ants do pick up granules of materials and bring it back to their colonies.  We were in New Orleans recently and watched them as they voraciously dragged bits of indoxacarb-treated granules back home.  We're certain that there are fewer fire ant mounds on Marbeau St. today.

Much thanks to Tim Davis for his contribution! 

As fire ants continue to spread throughout the state of North Carolina, quarantines on the movement of hay, logs, sod, dirt, and soil equipment are expanding. Newly-included counties in the quarantine include portions of Granville County, just north of Raleigh-Durham, N.C. as well as Clay, Cherokee, and Edgecombe counties. To date, 61 of the 100 counties in the state are included in the quarantine.

The quarantine, designed to slow the spread of the pest, is mandated by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture (NCDA). Residents and business owners in the quarantined areas must now obtain permits before moving plants, sod, and related equipment into or through non-infested areas.

Fire ants were first found in Brunswick County, N.C. in the late 1950s and have continued to spread.

In an effort to build awareness and educate people throughout the United States, we’re circulating a petition asking our country’s legislators to make Fire Ant Awareness Day (April 17, 2007) into a nationally-recognized day.  Please take a moment to sign our petition!

We're back from an extended holiday and apologize for leaving you with no explanation. But we're back with good news! The makers of Over 'n Out Fire Ant Killer are in the process of planning the first ever Fire Ant Awareness Day. It's taking place April 17, and it's the first step in creating a nationally recognized day. You can help signing a petition so that Congress can write it into law. It's a great chance to encourage people to learn about fire ants and how we can defeat the pests.

That's not all! We're also creating the Internet's most robust resource for fire ants: Fire Ant Free.com. There are some good sites out there, such as Texas A&M's, but we hope to make Fire Ant Free the most helpful resource on the Web. From fire ant facts, to information on quarantines and treatment methods, and even educational curricula, Fire Ant Free promises to give you loads of tools to be free of the little buggers.

Check back with us often, as we promise to be better bloggers...when we're not out fighting fire ants. Do you have questions? Let us know. Either comment or drop us a line at bugs@armentdietrich.com. We want your feedback. Do you have issues with fire ants? What do you want to know?