DATE:     12/20/00
CONTACT:  Dr. Mac Horton, (864) 656-3382; mhorton@clemson.edu
WRITER:   Tom Lollis, (803) 284-3343; tlollis@clemson.edu

New fire ant publication
provides agents overview

     CLEMSON -- A new publication on fire ant management is 
now available to help Clemson Extension Service offices answer
questions about controlling this imported pest in populated 
areas.
     "Managing Imported Fire Ants in Urban Areas" is a regional
publication developed by the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida,
Georgia, Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
     It was published by the Texas Agricultural Extension Service 
as a project of the Southern Legislative Conference Imported Fire 
Ant Task Force Initiative (SLCTF), according to Mac Horton,
entomologist and assistant director for Clemson Extension.
     The 20-page booklet details management options for fire 
ants, describes how to organize a community-wide suppression 
program and lists treatment methods, covers fire and biology 
and identification. It also notes medical problems, which range 
from painful stings to serious allergies which can be fatal if 
not properly treated. 
     The booklet also reviews the history of efforts to control
imported fire ants over the last 40 years and lists the biological 
and chemical controls currently used to suppress fire ant 
populations.
     "In addition to Clemson Extension offices around the state, 
the booklet will be placed in many of the retail outlets where 
home and garden supplies are sold," said Horton. "South Carolinians 
who need advice on fire ants will be able to consult the publication
there and have pages copied to take home with them."
     He said current Extension recommendations call for timely use 
of baits, individual mound treatments or a combination of the two. 
     Scientists from Clemson and other agencies are currently evaluating the effectiveness of biological controls for use in 
the fight against imported fire ants. One is the phorid fly, a 
natural predator that lays its eggs inside ant bodies, and 
Thelohania solenopsae, a disease-carrying microorganism that
reduces the ability of the queen to lay eggs.
     Horton said that fire ants are not likely to ever be 
eradicated from the state.
     "The best we can do is to reduce populations to manageable
levels," he said.
                             END