Researchers then put the heads into containers, and about 20 days later the flies emerge. He said the experimental space dedicated to fire ant research at the laboratory has nearly doubled during the past year to include room for phorid fly breeding facilities. In the early stages of his research, Gilbert said it was necessary for researchers to keep bringing additional replacement phorid flies from South America due to the short life span of the flies. The Texas Imported Fire Ant Research and Management Plan is administered through the Texas Experiment Station in College Station. Additionally, rural Texans suffer as well.
Fire ants feed on seeds and young plants.
They can damage electrical and irrigation systems and prevent harvesting by hand. Fire ants may attack calves and other animals, resulting in increased veterinary expenses, decreased animal quality and at times, cause blindness and even death. Gilbert said the effectiveness of phorid flies in helping to reduce the imported fire ant population depends, to a great extent, on the survival of the less damaging native fire ant, which has drastically declined in numbers since the introduction of the imported fire ant. The theory is that as phorid flies and chemicals reduce the number of imported fire ants, the native fire ants, which are not bothered by phorid flies, can become more competitive and drive out many of the imported fire ant colonies. Gilbert suggests the best way for homeowner to deal with fire ants is to first determine whether the insects in their yards are native or imported fire ants.