Davis said Extension hopes to get South Carolinians to understand something about the fire ant, so they will make better use of control measures. That includes knowing when the ants are foraging for food and understanding that they should not use baits when rain is in the immediate forecast since baits break down in water. Soil surface temperature is the key to when ants are foraging for food. In the hot summer months, that's usually the evening and at night, and in the spring and fall it's during the warmer daylight hours. A team of Clemson agricultural economists and entomologists is planning surveys to determine just what those costs are.
Fire ants are more than an economic problem, however.
Two people in South Carolina died of allergic reactions to fire ant stings. Gorsuch and fellow entomologist Bob Bellinger are working on two videotapes on the biology and management of fire ants to add to Extension's educational arsenal. Both tapes will be made available to county Extension offices, Master Gardener programs and others. Since the red imported fire ant has no natural enemies in the United States, scientists have imported biological weapons from South America to help balance the equation, Davis said. Clemson and USDA-ARS scientists released decapitating phorid flies at Myrtle Beach National Golf Club and near the Starkey Swine Center at Clemson.