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Fire Ants & Crazy Ants, Oh Ants Impacting our lives: Fire Ants & Crazy Ants, Oh My! Paul R. Nester, Ph.D. Retired Department of Entomology Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service p‐[email protected] Walden’s Cornucopia of Outside Ants Big Headed Ant Red Imported Fire Ant Tawny Crazy Ant Little Black Ant Rover Ant Thief Ant Proper Identification Different pests have different control strategies Important to properly identify by : ◉ Collect sample of damaged item or droppings ◉ Take a digital image of the pest, damage or droppings Photo by: Paul Nester SCAT is from Periplaneta feluginosa, the Smokybrown Cockroach Use Your Technology… Use Your Technology… Use Your Technology… Camera Camera with 10x loop Camera Zoom Collection of Specimens https://urbanentomology.tamu.edu/ Other identification means: http://www.texasinsects.org/ PLEASE DO NOT… Photos: R. Puckett Once Identified can develop strategy for management! Food When abundant food , water and acceptable shelter is available ‐‐ Pest Problem Shelter Water Break the triangle to reduce pest Food problems!! Shelter Water Ant Biology & Life Cycle Ant Life Cycle Argentine Ant worker alate pupa eggs larva Red Imported Fire Ant Red Imported Fire Ant Solenopsis invicta Look for: Large eyes Two nodes 1) 2 nodes 2) Large eyes 3) Stinger 4) Reddish color 5) Polymorphic > 1/8 inch 10 segments Last two form club Stinger Red Imported Fire Ant Facts Solenopsis invicta Introduction and Spread 1) Fire Ants came to US in 1930’s, as stowaways in shipping ballast. 2) Identified in Texas in 1950’s 3) An average “Texas” colony has > 100,000 workers 4) An average “Texas” colony has multiple queens 5) A queen can live 2‐5 years 6) Can lay up to 1000 eggs per day 7) From egg to adult ~ 3 weeks 8) All worker ants are sterile females 9) Live 6‐18 weeks Fire Ant Mating Flight Queen Ant Laying Eggs: Oviposition Worker Ant Tending Larvae Biting and Stinging Ants in Electrical Equipment Red Imported Fire Ant Mound Dynamics Imported Fire Ant Mounds Controlling Fire Ants Two‐Step Method ‐ Least toxic, cost‐effective method ‐ Most suitable for larger, fully‐infested areas ‐ Reduces surface runoff water contamination . Step 1: Relies on periodic . Step 2: Uses mound broadcast application of fire treatments to treat ant bait product(s) “nuisance” ant mounds, only Available Baits Active ingredient Product name hydramethylnon Amdro Pro, Probait, Amdro methoprene Extinguish pyriproxyfen Esteem, Distance hydramethylnon Extinguish Plus, Amdro Yard Treatment + methoprene indoxacarb Advion, Ortho Fire Ant Mound Bait spinosad Come and Get It, Pay Back abamectin Award II, Clinch, Ascend fipronil MaxForce FC metaflumazone Altrevin (orchards vineyards), Siesta Available Baits Tips for Applying Fire Ant Bait Insecticides BAIT MUST BE FRESH! (Pleasant corn‐like odor, NOT sour) Temperature must be between 70ºF and 95ºF. Grass must be dry (Soil can be moist) No rain expected for 8 hours after application of bait Do Not mix bait with fertilizer Do Not use push‐type spreaders Application Patterns Solid coverage, Skip swath Grid pattern Hopper blends IGR’s only! RIFA Management: Mounted Broadcast Seeders Long Residual (fipronil : TopChoice, Taurus G, QUALI‐PRO® Fipronil 0.0143G) (fipronil + bifenthrin + lambda cyhalothrin : Taurus Trio G) Application of contact insecticide (fast acting) Home Remedies Product Effect, If Any Gasoline/Diesel NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! Home Cleaning Agents NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! Grits, Sugar, Baking Moves the Mound/Not Soda, Flour, etc... deadly to ants Orange Peels Same as above Citrus Oil 60% Kill Rate in tests Mistletoe Berries Joy, Peace, Goodwill Toward ants ????? Other’s Tawny Crazy Ant Tawny Crazy Ant Nylanderia fulva (Mayr) o Invasive ant from South America o First detected as nuisance in 2002 near Houston Shipping Channel, Harris County, Houston, TX o Tom Rasberry was PCO who encountered it o Original common name ‘Rasberry crazy ant’ assigned based on discoverer in Texas o Entomological Society of America (ESA) is responsible for assigning official insect common names o ‘Rasberry crazy ant’ deemed too uninformative by Oi and Gotzek (2012) o ‘Tawny crazy ant’ proposed by Oi and Gotzek (2012) and accepted by ESA o “fulva” is Latin for tawny Nylanderia fulva (Mayr) Tawny Crazy Ant, a.k.a Rasberry Crazy Ant Standing macrosetae Look for Long scape One node 1) One node 2) Macrosetae 3) Acidopore 4) Long scape 5) Long femur 6) Reddish to brown 7) ~2‐3 mm Circle of hairs at Long Femur tip of abdomen Tawny Crazy Ant Nylanderia fulva (Mayr) o Recognized in the field by extremely large and dense populations o Reddish‐brown, orangish‐brown coloration (tawny/butterscotch) o Rapid, erratic movement. o Foraging trails plentiful in summer during cooler part of day o Multiple queen (polygyne) o uniform size of workers (monomorphic) o Many nests (polydomas) o Nests under any object Tawny Crazy Ant Nylanderia fulva (Mayr) Photo by: Blake Layton o Omniverous o Tend various sucking hemipterous insects such as aphids, mealybugs, scale insects, treehoppers, whiteflies, etc., for honeydew o Attracted to plant nectaries, damaged or overripe fruit, and other sweet food sources o Supplement their diets with arthropods and small vertebrates for protein o Does not sting, but is capable of inflicting a bite o Can spray small quantities of formic acid, which may irritate some individuals o Detoxify fire ant venom: Ed LeBrun, University of Texas 2013 Tawny Crazy Ant Nylanderia fulva (Mayr) o Serious pest in rural and urban areas of Colombia, South America. o Caused small livestock (e.g. chickens) to die of asphyxia. o Larger animals (cattle etc.), attacked around the eyes, nasal fossae and hooves impacting overall health (August 2015 ‐ suspect injury to calves in Texas!) o Grasslands have dried out (desiccate) because the ants aggravated sucking insect pests (hemipterans). The ants feed on the sugary "honeydew" produced by these plant feeding insects. o Reportedly displaces many other ant species and affects numbers and types of other arthropods/non‐arthropods. o Will infest entire subdivisions, industrial sites, agricultural operations, and honeybee hives. o Possibly the new ecologically dominant invasive ant species? Tawny Crazy Ant Suspect calf injury, August 2015, Brazoria, TX, Mel and Mary Coddou So, where are they now? As of November 2018 tawny crazy ant (TCA) infestations have been confirmed in 39 Texas Counties: Angelina, Bastrop, Bell, Bexar, Brazoria, Brazos, Calhoun, Cameron, Chambers, Colorado, Comal, DeWitt, Fayette, Grimes Fort Bend, Galveston, Goliad, Gonzales, Hardin, Harris, Hays, Hidalgo, Jasper, Jefferson, Jim Hogg, Lavaca, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Nueces, Orange, Polk, San Augustine, Travis, Tyler Victoria, Walker, Wharton and Williamson counties. New infestations are being reported beyond these areas. Once they are positively ID’ed as TCA the county is added to the list General Aesthetics Industry Structures, Buildings etc. Controlling Tawny crazy ants???? IPM Strategies for habitat modification Cultural control suggestions: 1. Remove harborage such as fallen limbs, rocks, leaf litter, and just about anything sitting on the ground that isn't absolutely necessary. 2. Alter moisture conditions in a landscape. Reduce the amount of irrigation, repair leaks, and improve drainage. Food sources should be eliminated or managed. 1. Manage insects that produce honeydew (hemipterans) 2. Systemic neonicotinoid products (imidaloprid, dinotefuran or others) are good options. Inspect anything being moved from an infested area for ants and treat before transferring it to a new site. IPM Strategies for habitat modification Chemical Control Suggestions: Call a professional pest control provider if you suspect your house or property is infested with these ants!!! After treatment, or when making multiple applications over time, piles of dead ants must be swept or moved out of the area in order to treat the surface(s) underneath. Termidor® SC insecticide (fipronil): Has a Quarantine Exemption label (Section 18) in Texas. This product can be used as a barrier treatment (3 ft up, 10 ft out) on and near structures. This product is effective for several weeks if applied. Limited to 2 applications per year. Apply contact insecticides to surfaces. Those containing acephate or pyrethroid insecticides (lambda‐cyhalothrin, bifenthrin, cypermethrin, cyfluthrin, deltamethrin, permethrin, s‐fenvalerate, and others) could be considered. These treatments may breeched within 1‐3 months post application. Landscape plants should be treated and the trunks of all trees (3‐4 ft up). Chemical Control Suggestions: Alpine ® WSG (dinotefuran) can be used in conjunction with the Termidor SC treatments. These two treatments should be applied when ant pressure is high or getting close to high. Alpine WSG can be used at same time, but away from the Termidor SC treatments Top Choice ®, Taurus G®, QUALI‐PRO® Fipronil 0.0143G or Taurus® Trio G applications to extend “fipronil” barrier may be considered. One application per year. Restricted use pesticide. Phantom ® insecticide (chlorfenapyr) may be used indoors. Tawny crazy ant workers are not attracted to most bait products but they are attracted to the Advance ® Carpenter Ant bait. This bait does not offer enough control as a standalone treatment, and could be used in early in the season when populations are at their lowest. Perimeter Treatments Termidor® SC Treatment Quarantine Exemption use till 11‐1‐2015 3 ft. up structure 10 ft. out on ground area Sidewalk is not included in the 10 ft. coverage area.
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