the Texas AgriLife Extension Service - Harris County
Resources
Links
Information for Managing Fire Ants Widely Available
Bastiaan M. Drees, Coordinator for the Texas Imported Fire Ant Research & Management Project
The World Wide Web is a source of valuable information for anyone with access
to a computer. The Texas Imported Fire Ant Research and Management Project,
funded by the Texas Legislature in1998, has enabled researchers and educators
at Texas’ major universities and agencies to work together. The goals
of the project are to help find better solutions to the state’s fire
ant problem and to deliver technical information to help people fight this
accidentally introduced pest. Availablemethods to control this pest can
now be found on the Internet under the address: http://fireant.tamu.edu.
Publications are also available to those with no access to a computer by
visiting your county agricultural Extension agent.
Since Sept. 14-20, 1998, when Governor George W. Bush proclaimed “Fire Ant Awareness Week,” more than 100,000 people have been accessing information on the fire ant web site. The site contains publications, fact sheets, slide presentations and images and frequently asked questions. It also links to other web sites in Texas and the nation dealing with red imported fire ant research, education and regulatory activities. Now school children, college students and scholars and homeowners can find our just about anything there is to know about this insect and ways to control it.
Although the approach promoted heavily to control the fire ants in heavily infested areas is the “Two Step Method,” which uses the periodic broadcast application of an effective fire ant bait product, other options for control are provided. There is even a fact sheet describing “organic” and other alternative methods of control. In different areas where fire ants are a problem, there can be different ways to best managing them. Fact sheets are provided to address fire ants in vegetable gardens, electrical boxes, utility housings and other infested sites. Finally, the status of current research, designed to find better solutions than those we currently have, can be found by looking at the connections or “linkages” to the University of Texas at Austin, Texas Tech University, the Texas Department of Agriculture and the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station. Happy surfing!
For more information contact:
Paul Nester
Extension Agent - IPM
Fire Ant Project
Harris County
Phone: (281) 855-5600
or visit http://fireant.tamu.edu.
Educational programs of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion, age, or national origin. Individuals with disabilities requiring auxilary aids, services or accommodations in order to participate in Extension programs are encouraged to call 281.855.5600 to discuss specific needs.