Fire Ant bio-control - 07/28/13 10:43 PM
I made an interesting observation in my back yard yesterday.
I treated my lawn with Extinguish Plus (a bait for fire-ants) and then bent down on hands and knees to watch the foraging workers collect the bait - while eagerly awaiting their doom.
While watching them at such close range, I noticed a very small fly "dive bombing" the foraging fire-ants - and the ants became highly agitated each time the fly "tagged them". It was quite comical, since I hate fire-ants.
After watching this process occur several times, I finally realized that the fly was doing more than simply molesting the ants - which prompted me to do a Google-search. Low and behold, we now have a fire-ant parasitic fly.
Hallelujah!! Send more!!!
New phorid fly species turns red imported fire ants into 'zombies'
I treated my lawn with Extinguish Plus (a bait for fire-ants) and then bent down on hands and knees to watch the foraging workers collect the bait - while eagerly awaiting their doom.
While watching them at such close range, I noticed a very small fly "dive bombing" the foraging fire-ants - and the ants became highly agitated each time the fly "tagged them". It was quite comical, since I hate fire-ants.
After watching this process occur several times, I finally realized that the fly was doing more than simply molesting the ants - which prompted me to do a Google-search. Low and behold, we now have a fire-ant parasitic fly.
Hallelujah!! Send more!!!
New phorid fly species turns red imported fire ants into 'zombies'