FireRANT

We blogged about Hurricane Katrina's effect on the Gulf Coast's fire ant population the other day.  Dr. Dale Pollet of the LSU AgCenter in Baton Rogue told FireRANT that LSU is beginning programs to keep the fire ant population from re-establishing.

"We have some areas in the flood parishes that have no ants at all and we are trying to put out a preventative program to help keep them down if not out completely.  People have always been anxious about fire ants particularly those with pets, small children or grandchildren." 

While people are always anxious about fire ants, efforts are being made to kick Gulf Coast fire ants while they're down, hopefully eliminating the problem.  Though it's business as usual for much of the South, the Gulf Coast and its fire ants face a unique situation where, for the first time in a while, fire ants may be on the ropes. 

Click here to see what LSU's fire ant experts have to say about fire ants in the New Orleans area.

Hurricane may have historic consequences for backyard pests

In August 2005, the world watched in horror as one of America’s crown jewels and the surrounding region were battered by a massive tempest.  The disaster of Hurricane Katrina, however, has created at least one bright spot amid a very dark situation.  The Gulf Coast’s population of fire ants appears to have been dealt a crippling blow by the salt water flooding that devastated New Orleans and its surrounding parishes.

During flooding, water uproots entrenched fire ant populations.  Fire ants are able to survive by creating a rotating ball, forming a protective sphere around the colony queen.  Air is trapped by the ants’ body hair allowing them to survive, even underwater.  But scientists have discovered that fire ants on the go lack the ability to keep their shape in salt water.

“They destabilized in the salt water.  We’re finding whole colonies have been removed,” says Dr. Dale Pollet, professor of entomology and an extension specialist at the Louisiana State University AgCenter in Baton Rouge.  While this development has never been seen before and may encourage those engaged in the fight against fire ants, Pollet warns that this change is by no means permanent.

“We’re monitoring their populations in the area.  It’s really too early to tell if they will repopulate in New Orleans.  The may establish themselves in the perimeter” of the beleaguered city.  Pollet noted that fire ants may take up residence in the many piles of sediment or abandoned homes around the region, but there is no way yet of telling if there is an ideal setting for the fire ants’ return.

The flooding that caused a mass exodus of both humans and fire ants led to hundreds of fire ant-related injuries.  Pollet says doctors treated hundreds of people, including members of the media covering the hurricane.  While most fire ant bites can be treated at home, the tenuous situation meant that many people were without the most basic of provisions.  Scientists also determined that fire ants under stress can inject up to twice as much toxin than is normal. 

With floodwater swirling at the doors of the New Orleans Superdome, palates of aggressive fire ants drifted in the water, making it extremely difficult to rescue evacuees trying to leave the doomed stadium.  Rescue workers and evacuees alike suffered from multiple fire ant bites on their legs, arms, and even torsos.  As the floodwater receded into the ocean, and as salt water was introduced into the city, the fire ants eventually destabilized and drowned.

While entomologists will continue to monitor Katrina’s effect on the Gulf Coast’s fire ant population, few people are lamenting the loss of the aggressive pests.  Only time will tell if the hurricane’s devastation will have a long-term effect on fire ants.