Biologically-based Material and Method for Control of Invasive Fire Ants

Currently, imported fire ants infest over 140 million hectares in the USA (it is a serious international pest as well) and cost Americans an estimated 6 billion dollars annually for control and to repair damage to agriculture, households, electric and communications, and several other economic sectors (Lard et al. 2006). Current control methods primarily target the household economic sector, which yields the highest profit margin. Control methods include toxic drenches, formulated granular contact insecticides, and baits. All give temporary relief from RIFA infestation, but baits are the environmentally responsible option because baits put much less Active Ingredient (AI) into the environment. Baits are effective because the fire antis efficient at finding retrieving, and distributing the AI to nestmates (Lofgren 1986).There are currently only a two baits available in the market. The AIs of the existing baits are oil soluble. The solvent is either corn or soybean oil, which also acts as a phagostimulant for the target ant. The AI/oil is absorbed into a corn grit product that simple mechanical spreaders can distribute (Williams 1983). By contrast, water soluble AIs are usually formulated as aqueous solutions with sucrose acting as the phagostimulant. The solution may be further formulated before it is put in a bait station that protects the bait from the environment, but allows access to the target ant. Besides borates there are few water soluble AIs formulated in a bait station and available to the public for use against fire ants or household ant pests. Fire ants cost the household economic sector $3.7 billion/yr (Lard et al. 2006). There is a need for new AIs that can be used in baits. Our water soluble biologically-based AI could fill the general public need for bait control of pest ants in and outside homes.RIFA function as opportunistic omnivores, e.g., tending aphids for honey dew, deform new-born livestock, and kill susceptable wildlife, ruining pick-your-own operations, and necessitating hay bale quarantines and fire ant free certification. Invasive red fire ants cause extensive agricultural losses in the areas afflicted. As such RIFA inhibit the growth of organic farming, farm-to-restaurant supply chains, pick-your-own and similar economic development models that can revitalize rural communities. Currently there is no effective organically certified bait treatment on the market to controlRIFA. Our project will produce a biologically-based, cost-effective bait method of control that will be of great use for home gardens, home lawns, pick-your-own farms, green houses and chicken raising facilities, and nurseries.