Friday | December 08, 2006

Pizza Fly Trap

In an unappetizing move combining ingenuity and the munchies, a Texas A&M doctoral candidate has devised a new method of studying fire ants' natural enemy, the phorid fly.  Robert Puckett uses pizza stands -- the hard-to-describe circular devices you find in the middle of your pie -- to attract phorid flies. 

He coats the stand with Tanglefoot insect trap and surrounds it with a field of decaying fire ant carcasses.  The dead fire ants release chemicals called kairomones, which attract phorid flies to their favorite target.  Scientists then observe the flies with the hopes that they gain information to help stop the spread of the fussy fire ant.

It seems a bit unclear as to how this helps fight fire ants, since phorid flies that are stuck to pizza stands don't really pose a threat to fire ants.  Hopefully, however, this enterprising student and his colleagues at the University of Texas and USDA Agricultural Research Service are successful in learning the habits of phorid flies.

We just hope we don't find any phorid flies in our pizza.

 

Posted by Admin at 23:20:27 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Friday | December 01, 2006

In sporting news...

And now on to sports...

The Columbian in Clark County, Wash. notes that fire ants, among others, are one of the worst invasive species in North America.

"It turns out largemouth bass are close to the top of the list when it comes to fish species considered bad news in other countries. Largemouth bass have been exported to almost every corner of the globe, and in many of those corners they are about as welcome as foot fungus as their presence harms native species. On a list of the 100-worst invasive species, as compiled by the Species Specialist Group, largemouth bass share a spot with red fire ants and Dutch elm disease. Rainbow trout and brown trout also make the top 100, proving that one man's treasure is another man's trash."

Another man's trash indeed.  He can keep his fire ants.  We don't want them!

UPDATE: The Invasisve Species Specialist Group publishes a newsletter with the rather awesome name, Aliens.  Just thought you'd like to know.

Posted by Admin at 22:38:23 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Fire ants have no friends

It must be tough being a fire ant, knowing that nobody likes you and all.  Perhaps they exact their revenge on haters by going after dwindling species, like the bobwhite quail of Arkansas.  The Delta Farm Press reports that fire ants may be responsible for the dropping numbers of bobwhite quail in the state. 

"Fire ants may be to blame for some bobwhite deaths," said Arkansas Extension wildlife specialst Becky McPeake.

Get this: She says fire ants are attracted by the moisture of cracked quail eggs and attack baby quail as they hatch, killing them.  Talk about quail hunting!

UPDATE:  How could we forget?  Fire ants have at least one friend, who we mentioned waaaay back in June. 

Posted by Admin at 22:32:44 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |