Parasitic flies turn fire ants into zombies; and then their heads pop off, and out comes the fly!
By BILL HANNA
It sounds like something out of science fiction: zombie fire ants. But it’s all too real.Fire ants wander aimlessly away from the mound.Eventually their heads fall off, and they die.
Read More...http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/1371092.html?story_link=email_msg
It sounds like something out of science fiction: zombie fire ants. But it’s all too real.Fire ants wander aimlessly away from the mound.Eventually their heads fall off, and they die.
Read More...http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/1371092.html?story_link=email_msg
Sent in from Fort Worth by Claudia.
Thank you!
FD
FD: I need to update my blog and get it organized....
A&M is working on using Phorid flies to control fire ants in Texas. You will see more stories this summer. This is the third summer since the initial release of the flies in 2006. It is not a cure, but it sure keeps their heads down... they don't get out and look for food with the flies around them. There are lots of websites... but the photos on this one are impressive: http://scienceblogs.com/photosynthesis/2009/04/slow_death_from_the_skies_phor.php
More on our efforts to fight ants with flies...
What will they eat after they kill off all the fire ants?
Phorid flies of the genus Pseudacteon permitted for release have been through careful screening to identify those species most specific to the imported pest fire ant. Prior to the decision to release target-specific phorids, USDA APHIS produced an Environmental Assessment (EA) http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~gilbert/research/fireants/envassess.html . This document contains a review of the biological qualities in fire ant-attacking phorids and assesses the potential benefits vs costs of releasing these exotic insects in North America. Aside from a small amount of nectar-feeding by adults, Pseudacteon flies are completely dependent on ants. Indeed, most species of flies under consideration for release as biocontrol agents of the RIFA are restricted to a single species or species group of fire ants. For example, native phorid species attack our native fire ants, S. geminata and S. xyloni. The fact that in over seven decades, no switch by native phorids to the invading S. invicta has occurred is strong evidence of how extremely host-specific these flies are.
Phorid flies of the genus Pseudacteon permitted for release have been through careful screening to identify those species most specific to the imported pest fire ant. Prior to the decision to release target-specific phorids, USDA APHIS produced an Environmental Assessment (EA) http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~gilbert/research/fireants/envassess.html . This document contains a review of the biological qualities in fire ant-attacking phorids and assesses the potential benefits vs costs of releasing these exotic insects in North America. Aside from a small amount of nectar-feeding by adults, Pseudacteon flies are completely dependent on ants. Indeed, most species of flies under consideration for release as biocontrol agents of the RIFA are restricted to a single species or species group of fire ants. For example, native phorid species attack our native fire ants, S. geminata and S. xyloni. The fact that in over seven decades, no switch by native phorids to the invading S. invicta has occurred is strong evidence of how extremely host-specific these flies are.
The phorid flies used in the project are a natural enemy of the red imported fire ant, Barr said.
The life span of adult flies is only two or three days. After mating, the females will inject eggs into worker fire ants that are foraging for food. After hatching, the fly “eats” its way through the ant's body — paralyzing it — and emerges 40 days later from the host's head.
“Females can lay about 200 eggs, which means (a possible) 200 paralyzed ants,” Barr said. “But more importantly, the fire ants recognize the flies and for protection, will stop foraging for food. That makes life hard for the ants.”
The phorid flies — reared and released in a cooperative project with the U.S. Department of Agriculture — are specific to the red imported fire ant and are not known to attack anything else, insect or otherwise.
Therefore, the chance of the population mushrooming out of control is small, Barr said.
In the last several years, phorid flies have been released and populations established near Austin and Vidor by either University of Texas or Texas A&M researchers, he said.
Thriving populations — introduced by the USDA — can also be found in Florida, where they are expanding their range at a rate of 10 to 15 miles per year. If that rate of expansion happens in Texas, Barr estimated the phorid flies introduced in the Vidor and Caldwell areas could expand to the Houston area in the next 10 or 15 years.
The red imported fire ant was accidentally introduced into the United States around the 1930s and has spread to infest more than 260 million acres of land in nine southeastern states. Because it had few natural enemies here, it spread quickly and displaced many native ant species.
Cost estimates of damage by red imported fire ants to the cattle industry alone range anywhere from $50 million to $200 million, Barr said. Fire ants can overwhelm and kill newborn calves, clog hay baling machines, infest hay or ruin feed. They also have an unusual attraction to electrical systems and can clog or short out water pumps or breaker boxes, he explained.
UT - Austin is a bit behind the times: I blogged it last year.
Fire ant-attacking fly spreading rapidly in Texas
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
No comments:
Post a Comment