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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Biological Control of Pests Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #195618
Title: AREAWIDE SUPPRESSION OF FIRE ANTS: DEMONSTRATION PROJECT IN MISSISSIPPI, 2005

Author
item Streett, Douglas
item Pranschke, Anthony
item Vogt, James
item REED, JACK - MISSISSIPPI STATE
item CALLCOTT, ANNE-MARIE - APHIS

Submitted to: Imported Fire Ants Conference Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/16/2006
Publication Date: 9/11/2006
Citation: Streett, D.A., Pranschke, A.M., Vogt, J.T., Reed, J.T., Callcott, A. Areawide suppression of fire ants: demonstration project in Mississippi, 2006. Imported Fire Ants Conference Proceedings. pg. 132-135. 2006.

Interpretive Summary: Imported fire ants are serious pests that infest 300 million acres in the United States. A USDA-ARS demonstration project for the suppression of fire ants on pastures was established in five states; Florida, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas. In Mississippi, the demonstration project has used biological control agents of fire ants in conjunction with registered bait products to demonstrate areawide management of fire ant populations on pastures. One of these biological control agents, phorid flies have become established and have spread in northeastern Mississippi. These findings will prove critical in the development of areawide programs to control imported fire ants in Mississippi.

Technical Abstract: A USDA-ARS demonstration project for the suppression of fire ants on pastures was established in five states; Florida, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas. Mississippi's involvement in the area-wide suppression of fire ants has focused on the suppression of black imported fire ant populations on pastures. In 2005, Mississippi State University joined the project monitoring sites in Clay and Grenada County, Mississippi. Two additional sites, located in Oktibbeha County, were also incorporated into the Mississippi project. The project integrates biological control agents with the chemical bait products hydromethylnon and methoprene. Mississippi’s involvement in the project has focused on black/hybrid imported fire ants. Since July 2002, three inoculative introductions of the biological control agent, Thelohania solenopsae have been made at two pasture sites in Clay County, Mississippi. Follow-up sampling of all active mounds located in monitored plots, in May 2005, did not yield any infected colonies. The Argentina biotype of the phorid fly, Pseudacteon curvatus was first released in two pastures in Clay County, Mississippi during the spring of 2002 and 2003. The phorid fly has become established on black and hybrid imported fire ants, Solenopsis richteri and S. invicta X richteri, respectively. Another species of phorid fly, P. litoralis Borgmeier was released in Clay County, Mississippi in 2004. P. litoralis was not found after 11 survey days in the fall of 2004 and four survey days in the spring of 2005.