FireRANT

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.

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.