They did the study at Welder Wildlife refuge 40 miles northwest of Corpus Christi. The researchers believe fire ants who don't kill newborn fawns with their stings may make them move around when they should keep still to avoid predators. Economically, it's also valuable to protect wildlife from the stinging pests, the researchers say.
Deer are worth a lot of money.
If something like fire ants is going to affect deer when they're young, it affects the population. Harlan Thorvilson, a plant and soil science professor at Tech who's working on the fire ant problem, said there is good reason to protect wildlife. That's why research is important, he said. E.W. Scripps Publications , All Rights Reserved. Site users are subject to our User Agreement .