| Fire ant colonies seem to be down dramatically The red imported fire ant, one of the most horrifying of the foreign species that have established themselves in the United States, appears to be in retreat. , sometime between 1933 and 1945. Even among stinging insects, their habits are horrifying. "These parasites have been doing very, very well in spreading through the infected area," said Robert K. "They are everywhere the ants are. "In South Florida, the red imported fire ant has declined considerably in the last 20 years," said William Kern, associate professor of entomology at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. " The ants, whose name derives from the pain inflicted by their venom, arrived by ship in either Pensacola or Mobile, Ala. In Broward County, scientists have marked a reduction of nearly 90 percent in fire ant mounds in suburban swales. Department of Agriculture scientists will be crisscrossing Florida and Georgia to inspect the number and size of mounds, with an additional month to analyze the data and draw conclusions about the status of these invaders from South America. Christopher Cavanagh, vice president and general manager of Petri's Positive Pest Control Inc. "There have been times when it was a lot more of a problem," he said. Efforts to control these vicious insects involved an appropriately lurid parasite: various species of brain-eating flies. They kill baby sea turtles, newborn calves that don't get off the ground fast enough and ground-nesting birds. Scientists say the evidence so far is compelling but anecdotal. Porter suggests changes in climate, disease and phorid flies. But so far, signs point to fewer colonies. These flies have established themselves throughout Florida and are among several possible reasons suggested by scientists for the ant's decline. But the frequency of calls has gone down by about 50 percent. They cause an estimated $600 million damage every year. Pest control companies, for whom red imported fire ants had been a reliable moneymaker, say service calls have plummeted. "It's better, depending your point of view," said Al Hoffer, owner of Al Hoffer's Pest Protection in Coral Springs, which serves all of southeast Florida. The flies have been distributed throughout South Florida, and scientists plan to introduce more species of them because each species attacks a different-sized ant. |
Friday 30 March 2012
Fire ant colonies seem to be down dramatically
