Project Number: 0500-00044-017-07
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Sep 27, 2006
End Date: Mar 31, 2009

Objective:
Maintain low fire ant populations with reduced need for bait toxicants by using available self-sustaining fire ant biological control agents in conjunction with bait toxicants.

Approach:
1. Locate and define suitable fire ant infested areas; 2. Assess and monitor the economic and environmental impact associated with fire ants and the benefits of fire ant control in the selected environments of the area-wide program; 3. Eliminate fire ant populations in the selected sites using commerically available baits to obtain at least 90% control; 4. Inoculate treatment periphery with the microsporidian pathogen, Thelohania solenopsae and monitor the success; 5. Inoculate the treatment periphery with phorid fly parasites, Pseudacteon spp., and monitor the success; 6. Develop S. invicta bait toxicant techniques that are more species-specific and/or are less labor intensive; 7. Develop phorid fly detection trap system using fire ant semiochemicals; and 8. Develop website, video demonstrations, and other educational/technology transfer activities to disseminate the results of the research effort and provide an open forum for collaborators, customers, partners, and others interested in area-wide management of fire ants.