TYLER - New biological controls could suppress fire ants and other insects at a very modest cost, according to Dr. Bart Drees, a featured speaker at the upcoming 2000 East Texas Spring Landscape and Garden Conference.
Scheduled for Feb. 5 at the Tyler Rose Garden, the annual conference will feature presentations on everything from biological pest control to how to take garden photos with digital or disposable cameras.
Drees, an entomologist with the Texas Agricultural Extension Service, will give the first presentation on the program, a discussion of biological control of fire ants and other common garden pests. Researchers are testing numerous biological controls for fire ants, ranging from parasitic flies to a fungus that can almost eliminate a fire ant mound.
For other garden pests, biological controls have advanced beyond the research side and are now offered commercially. In the last decade, the number of biological pest controls commercially available to gardeners has risen dramatically.
In the fire ant arena, a joint research effort by Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University and the University of Texas is looking at several biological controls. One control that shows promise is the phorid fly, an insect which tries to lay parasitic eggs on the heads of fire ant workers. The fly doesn’t often succeed, but it does cause the fire ants to run for cover.
In sufficient numbers, phorid fly attacks hamper fire ant activity enough to suppress existing and new mound development. Native to South America, as are fire ants, the phorid fly has been released and monitored near San Antonio and Montgomery City.
Another fire ant biological control that shows promise is an organism that causes a devastating disease in imported fire ants. Researchers are currently developing ways to grow and release the organism, a type of protozoa, for field trials.
Other conference speakers include Dale Groom, regional radio gardening personality, Bill Adams, professional photographer and Extension horticulturist based in Houston, Dr. Dave Creech, director of the Stephen F. Austin State University Mast Arboretum, and Ted Fisher, Extension horticulturist based in Jacksonville.
In the afternoon, concurrent sessions will cover the basics of soil preparation, an overview of the latest composting techniques, tips on vegetable gardening from an ace grower, the basics of landscape design and shade gardening.
During the morning, lunch and afternoon breaks, commercial exhibitors will display lawn and garden plants, equipment and other products. Attendees will have the chance to win door prizes throughout the day.
Registration for the conference will be 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. The registration fee of $10 will include lunch. Advance registration is not required. For more information, call Keith Hansen, Smith County Extension horticulturist, at (903) 535-0885.
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