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I. d. History of Fire Ant Management

I. d. History of Fire Ant Management. Based on a Presentation by David F. Williams Department of Entomology & Nematology University of Florida A Teaching Module for Master Gardener Training. Management of Imported Fire Ants in the 1930’s & 1940’s. First attempts were to eradicate

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I. d. History of Fire Ant Management

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  1. I. d. History of Fire Ant Management Based on a Presentation by David F. Williams Department of Entomology & Nematology University of Florida A Teaching Module for Master Gardener Training

  2. Management of Imported Fire Ants in the 1930’s & 1940’s • First attempts were to eradicate • 1937: the first organized management program began with approximately 2,000 acres in Baldwin County • Calcium cyanide dust • 1940-1947: During these years (WWII), all management programs halted---fire ants continued to spread • 1948: Mississippi, Alabama & Louisiana appropriated funds for control program • 5% chlordane dust

  3. Management of Imported Fire Ants in the 1950’s • 1957: U.S. Congress appropriated $2.4M to USDA for federal/state cooperative • Management and eradication program • Nov. 1957 - heptachlor & dieldrin applied by airand ground • Environmental concerns began one year later, 1958, stopped

  4. Management of Imported Fire Ants in the 1960’s • 1960: mirex bait developed by the USDA • 1962: mirex bait replaced heptachlor as treatment for fire ants • 1962: publication of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring

  5. Converted WWII aircraft used to apply mirex bait 1962-1978More than 140 million acres treated AIRCRAFT BEING LOADED WITH MIREX BAIT

  6. Management of Imported Fire Ants: The Mirex Years • Total treatment costs = 0.30 cents/acre • Late 1960’s: mirex residues detected in non-targets • All registrations of mirexcancelled in 1978 because: • Persisted in the environment • Accumulated in non-target organisms • Toxic to estuarine organisms • Potential carcinogen action noted

  7. In 1977, the USDA initiated a large-scale chemical screening program to find a replacement for mirex.In 1980, just 2.5 years after mirex was bannedAMDRO FIRE ANT BAIT BECAME AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC

  8. Development of Imported Fire Ant Chemical Controls • 1937 – calcium cyanide dust • 1947 – chlordane dust • 1957 – heptachlor & dieldrin granulars • 1962 to 1978 – mirex • 1980’s – hydramethylnon, fenoxycarb, & abamectin • 1990’s – pyriproxyfen, methoprene, & spinosad • 2000’s – fipronil, indoxacarb, & ???

  9. Two-Step Method for Treating Lawns • For moderate to large areas of turf • Not recommended for lightly infested areas • Goal: Reduce fire ant problems while minimizing need to treat individual mounds • Step 1- Broadcast bait product in spring and/or fall • Step 2- Treat nuisance mounds as necessary; start scouting 3 days after bait treatment

  10. Community-wide Fire Ant Management • Cooperative efforts can save money and effort • Lengthens time of re-infestation • Education is key • Homeowners cooperate by treating the neighborhood • Homeowner associations can contract with a commercial applicator to treat neighborhood

  11. Concluding Remarks • CHEMICAL CONTROL is still the most effective method; however, biological control agents may provide long term suppression of fire ant populations. • FUTURE CONTROL will involve multiple strategies of chemical, biological, behavioral, molecular, physical and cultural methods • EDUCATION is an important key and plays a vital role in the management of IFA; hence the development of www.extension.org/fire+ants

  12. For more information, visit eXtension at http://www.extension.org/fire+ants Publications, slide sets, streaming video, posters, and more…

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