They kill fire ants and also move seeds from one area to another. This changes plant distribution over time, he said, and therefore, native ants need to be protected. Vinson is developing a new system of bait stations that will utilize physical barriers to prevent any ants besides fire ants from entering the station. One prototype uses two levels to keep good ants from reaching the bait. The bottom level has rungs like a ladder which prevent ants smaller than fire ants from reaching the next level.
Fire ants are the smallest ants that make it to the second level.
The second level houses the dome containing the bait. Entry holes into the dome are small so that ants larger than fire ants cannot enter, Vinson said. These bait stations will provide a way for land owners to decrease the fire ant populations from specific areas of their land, providing a refuge area for wildlife, Vinson said. Bait stations are being designed to last about two years, he said. Bait stations may eventually be used to control fire ant populations in outside urban areas as well, he said.