SAN ANTONIO - Just because fire ants have gone “underground” for a while and are out of sight, don’t put them out of mind, said a Texas Cooperative Extension expert.
“Because of the drought, fire ants have gone deeper underground and people aren’t seeing as much of them as usual this time of year,” said Molly Keck, Extension entomologist for Bexar County. “But don’t let that fool you. They’ll be building mounds and crawling all over lawns and sidewalks soon after we get a decent rain.”
To help control the proliferation of fire ants, Keck and other Extension entomologists are spreading the word that the second week in September is Fire Ant Awareness Week. This year, it begins Sept. 10.
“Awareness week provides us with a really good opportunity to educate people about fire ant biology and behavior, along with some of the best ways to control fire ants,” Keck said. “For example, a lot of people don’t realize that fall is the best time to treat for fire ants so you don’t get as many of them when spring comes.”
This is the eighth year of Fire Ant Awareness Week, which was signed into law by former Gov. George W. Bush in 1998, she added.
“As part of making people aware, we encourage neighborhood and community-wide efforts toward the treatment of fire ants,” said Kim Schofield, Extension program specialist for integrated pest management in Dallas. “We try go get people in neighborhoods to work together in treating for fire ants and to apply the treatment on the same day so they get the best possible fire ant suppression.”
An Extension study shows community-wide control efforts could reduce the statewide economic impact of fire ant damage by $234 million annually. The statewide cost of insecticides could be reduced by as much as $313 million annually, according to the study.
Along with community efforts, Extension experts suggest using the Texas Two-Step approach to fire ant control.
The first step is to broadcast a fire ant bait over the entire the lawn, Schofield said.
“It’s best to apply the bait when you have at least five fire ant mounds per quarter acre,” she said. “Spreading between 1 and 1.5 pounds per acre will do the job and keep the amount of insecticide that goes into the environment fairly low.”
Step two is to treat any individual mounds in high-traffic areas for humans or pets, including along driveways and fence lines, and around mailboxes.
During hot weather, treat fire ant mounds in the early morning or late evening, Keck added.
“It’s best to follow all granular ant treatments with a gallon of water,” she said. “Putting water on mounds with flattened tops also helps bring ants closer to the surface.”
In addition to chemical treatments, Extension entomologists and other integrated pest control experts use phorid flies to help manage fire ant activity. These are already being used in several Texas counties.
“Phorid flies are a natural enemy of the fire ant,” Schofield said.”We are introducing this natural enemy into the U.S. as another means to decrease the fire ant population so we don’t have to rely on chemical control alone.”
For information on setting up a neighborhood fire ant control effort, call the local Extension office.
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