HOUSTON - Texas wildlife areas are being attacked by a silent predator. Imported red fire ants can make wildlife areas unsafe for people to enjoy.
Two programs of the Texas Agricultural Extension Service have teamed up with the Armand Bayou Nature Center to test an organic alternative for controlling these insects in sensitive areas.
Armand Bayou Nature Center is a sensitive wildlife area because there are many bodies of water in the vicinity. Traditional pesticides may contaminate water around the nature center and endanger the delicate ecosystem.
The partnership between Extension’s fire ant program and water quality program will help make both more effective.
Paul Nester, extension agent for integrated pest management, took these sensitive conditions into consideration when deciding the best way to treat the area for fire ants.
He selected a product containing D-limonene, an organic pesticide that is an extract of citrus peels known to have some toxic effects on fire ants when applied as a mound drench . Individual mounds were identified and then treated with the product. Nester said it has been effective to a certain degree.
“We have seen fracturing and relocating of some of the mounds,” Nester said. “This would be less of a problem if we were treating the whole area. It is important that the fire ants are controlled in this area because the land is used for a lot of recreational activities, but we also have to be careful not to overdo it.”
John Jacob, extension specialist for water quality, said the experimental use of organic pesticides is a big step towards protecting natural resources.
“Most homeowners use 10 times more pesticides on their yards than farmers,” Jacob said. “If we can find a product that will control the ants without causing (chemical) run-off into our water, we are one step ahead of the game.”
For more information on organic methods of fire ant control, please visit Extension’s web site at http://fireants.tamu.edu.
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