“WHAT’S HAPPENING?”
The University of Tennessee/Agricultural Extension
Service
Entomology & Plant Pathology - EPP #60
October 13, 2006
MANAGING FIRE ANTS AROUND THE HOME AND IN PASTURES
Karen Vail, Pat Parkman, John Ferrell and Derek Bailey
Ah, the time of year when the phone rings off the hook with fire ant calls. We have literally been flooded with rain, and fire ant calls. In the fall, when vegetation is starting to decline and rain is more plentiful, fire ant mounds are built higher and are more noticeable. As you recall, the fire ants greatly expanded their range this year and the quarantine was expanded to 49 Tennessee counties (http://fireants.utk.edu/quarantine.htm)
How do I manage them in urban areas?
We usually recommend the two-step method, a term that originated with Mike Merchant at Texas A & M, for management around homes. Basically, a bait is broadcasted over the yard and 7 to 10 days later mounds that are in high traffic areas are treated with an individual mound treatment of a quicker-acting bait, drench, granule or dust. The two-step method fact sheet, SP 419, can be found on the UT fire ant web site, http://fireants.utk.edu/Webpages/Publicationspage.htm and a brief summary of products available to the homeowner are listed in this fact sheet. We've just added several web pages that list many more products available for use against fire ants (http://fireants.utk.edu/Webpages/Products.htm). These tables are sorted by active ingredient and Trade Name and list many of the use sites on the label. You'll find these helpful when someone calls wanting to know which products are available for certain sites, such as pastures. A more thorough discussion of managing fire ants in urban areas can be found in PB1739 at http://fireants.utk.edu/Webpages/Publicationspage.htm
How do I manage them in pastures?
Damage Assessment and Control Decisions
A fire ant damage assessment is needed to determine where and when to treat. Ranchers can make two common mistakes when estimating fire ant losses and deciding on treatments. First, they may not include every loss caused by fire ants that takes money out of their pockets. Dead and injured livestock and infested hay bales are obvious losses. However, a shorted-out air conditioner or the cost of treating mounds around the children's swing set also should be included, even though they are not directly related to the business part of the ranch. Survey results show, in fact, that electrical damage and pesticide expenditures are the two most common types of losses.
The second mistake involves treatment options. Fire ant "eradication" is not technically or economically feasible. Still, when many ranchers think of fire ant treatments they think of treating large expanses of land to try to kill all ants. At a minimum of about $15 per acre per year, treating large areas is not usually economical, although some methods can cut large-area treatment costs by up to half. What many ranchers fail to realize is that most fire ant problems occur on fairly small areas that can be treated rather easily and at a modest cost.
Fire ants damage livestock in many ways, but determining that ants actually caused the damage may be difficult. Damage may include hundreds of stings, death to small immobile young livestock animals, or reduced forage utilization. Producers do need to be aware of such issues in a livestock operation. Worksheets on determining fire ant damage to hay or livestock production can be found at http://fireants.utk.edu/Webpages/Agricultcontrolpage.htm or http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-1248/ANR-1248.pdf
If your loss per acre for hay production is:
More than $15, you can probably make money by treating for fire ants.
Less than $15 but more than $6, you may still be able to make money using alternative/non-chemical methods.
Less than $6, fire ant treatment would not be justified.
If loss for livestock production per acre is:
More than $15, you can probably make money by treating the entire property.
Less than $15, pinpoint where these losses occur and treat only those areas.
Control
Methods
Non-chemical: Non-chemical or cultural control methods can reduce losses while maintaining a stable ant population that will help suppress other pests (lone star ticks, filth breeding flies, etc.) and deter the multiple queen form. Non-chemical methods include:
1. Scheduling fertility programs to ensure that birthing occurs during cooler weather when fire ants are less active (soil temp below 65 degrees F).
2. Using disc-type cutters designed to withstand the impact of fire ant mounds to reduce equipment damage.
3. Using mechanized balers and bale movers to reduce human contact with infested bales. Tightly-bound bales may be more difficult for fire ant colonies to infest than loose bales.
4. Removing hay bales from the field immediately to prevent ants from infesting them, particularly when rain is expected.
5. Storing bales off the ground or in an area treated for ants. (Note: The Quarantine prohibits the shipment of hay from infested to un-infested counties without certificates. If hay is from a quarantined county, it must be inspected, determined to be free of IFA and accompanied by a permit, prior to movement. Hay must have been stored off the ground to be shipped. If hay was stacked, as long as it was not the bottom tier of hay, it would be considered as stacked off the ground. Call your Tennessee Department of Agriculture inspector to discuss certification requirements. During county or state fair time, county Extension agents may be allowed to inspect hay to be moved to fairs).
Chemical Control: Chemical treatment can suppress fire ants in pastureland for a cost of about $15 per acre. Chemical treatments do not eradicate fire ants, and the treatments need to be repeated periodically. There is a limited number of fire ant control products labeled for use in pastures. Using the Two-Step Method, fire ant bait is broadcast once or twice a year. These treatments can kill up to 90 percent of the colonies within several weeks to several months. Hydramethylnon bait, such as AmdroPro®, takes 3 to 6 weeks and the effects last for months or until ants re-infest the treated area. Insect growth regulator baits containing s-methoprene (Extinguish®) or pyriproxyfen (Esteem) may require several months to work but may suppress ants for more than a year. A hopper blend of 0.75 lbs AmdroPro and 0.75 lbs of Extinguish can be applied per acre. Theoretically, the blend may give a quicker kill, provided by Amdro, and a longer residual, provided by the IGR (insect growth regulator) methoprene. The second step in the Two-Step Method is to treat individual mounds that are a particular nuisance. Some Sevin® products containing carbaryl are registered as fire ant mound drenches for pastures. Once the broadcast bait treatment has taken effect few individual mounds should need to be treated. Suggested bait application guidelines can be found in the references listed below. However, always read the product’s label and follow the instructions when applying.
Biological: There is great hope that in the future fire ant populations will be suppressed through the release of natural enemies from their native habitats in South America. One parasitoid being investigated is a tiny phorid fly that develops inside the head of ants, killing the host. Also, in theory, adult phorid flies looking for worker fire ant hosts suppress ant foraging and allow native ant species to compete more successfully with fire ants. The phorid fly Pseudacteon curvatus, first released in 2000, is known to be established in at least 34 Tennessee counties.
For more information on fire ants and their management, see Imported Fire Ants in Tennessee at http://fireants.utk.edu/
Modified
and Excerpted from:
Bailey, D., K. Vail, P. Parkman and J. Ferrell. 2006. E&PP Info Note # 755 Managing Fire Ants in Goat Pastures.
Drees, B., C. Barr, D. Shanklin, K. Flanders, B. Sparks, K. Vail and D. Pollet. 1999. Managing Imported Fire Ants in Agriculture http://fireants.utk.edu/Documents/pb1740.pdf
Flanders, K. and B. Drees. 2006. Management of Imported Fire Ants in Cattle Production Systems. SP-196 (Texas) and ANR-1248 (Alabama) Cooperative Extension Service. http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-1248/ANR-1248.pdf
Vail, K., P. Parkman, T. Rashid and R. Pereira. 2005. SP419 The Two Step Method: Managing Fire Ants Around Homes and in Neighborhoods (SP419). The University of Tennessee Extension.
Vail, K., J. Patrick Parkman And Tahir Rashid. 2006. Esteem Fire Ant Bait With Pyriproxyfen Now Labeled For Fire Ant Control In Pastures And Other Areas Around Farmhouses. “What’s Happening”, University of Tennessee Extension, Entomology & Plant Pathology - EPP #60, May 19, 2006.
Will We Have a Lady Beetle Swarm This Year? Don’t Know, Better Prepare!
Karen M. Vail
Predicting the Day of the Invasion
According to predictions by Ohio State University (OSU) IPM Program personnel, Multicolored Asian Lady Beetles (MALB) start searching for overwintering sites, your home, on the first or second day when temperatures are greater the 65̊°F after a dramatic drop in temperature, usually to near freezing. The MALB invasion started on October 6, 2004 in Minnesota. In Knoxville, the peak flight occurred around October 20 or 21, 2004. In 2005, the peak flight never occurred in Tennessee. Last year the swarm was probably delayed because of the mild temperatures through mid-November followed by cold temperatures from mid-November to December. It just didn’t get cold enough to trigger the swarm before temperatures turned too cold for the swarm to occur.
Vertical Contrast and Not House Color Influence Attractiveness of Homes to MALB
Research from North Carolina revealed that it is vertical contrast, such as black shutters against light colored walls, shadows cast by a chimney, white shutters against a dark background, that is attractive to beetles. Color of the house will not matter in attractiveness to the beetle. After all, they are looking for a crack in a white/light-colored cliff or rock outcropping.
Management
Conduct Steps 1 and 2 by late September/early October , before MALB start their invasion.
1. Pest-Proof: seal entry points, keep window screens intact, screen vent openings, etc., before the beetles arrive. (See our UT Extension Service SP 503C Lady Beetles Invading Homes [http://www.utextension.utk.edu/publications/spfiles/sp503c.pdf ] for more specific recommendations on sealing entry points.)
2. Treat roof lines or soffits, vertical contrast areas, and entry points (around the following outdoor items: windows, doors, vents, pipe penetrations) with pesticides before the beetles arrive. According to Ohio State University results, professionals products such as Demand CS (lambda-cyhalothrin), Suspend (deltamethrin) or Talstar (bifenthrin) provided 96, 95, and 84% effectiveness at 3 weeks post-treatment, respectively, when applied to vinyl siding. Products available to homeowners, such as Terro Ant Killer (0.2% permethrin w/PBO) and Bayer Advanced Home (0.1% cyfluthrin) provided 96 and 92% effectiveness at 3 weeks post-treatment. Retreatment in 3 weeks may be necessary, especially if beetles have not invaded yet and if rain has been common.
3. Remove dead beetles as they pile up because they may cause other MALB to aggregate.
4. If the beetles make their way into the home, vacuum or try a light trap (see description below). Insert a knee-high nylon stocking into the extension hose or wand of a vacuum or dry vac and secure the stocking with a rubber band (see http://ohioline.osu.edu/hse-fact/1030.html). When the vacuum is turned off, remove the stocking so the rubber band will close around it, thus catching the lady beetles. You can then discard the contents of the stocking. Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter to prevent allergens from becoming airborne.
Refrain from using foggers indoors because they will not kill the majority of lady beetles which are hidden, they increase your exposure to insecticides unnecessarily and could supply dermestid beetles (carpet beetles, larder beetles) and other scavengers with food.
Trap Updates from OSU. A commercial black light trap caught 90% of the lady beetles released into an OSU study room. The manufacturer, Southeastern Insectaries, (877-967-6777 or 478-988-9412, 478-988-9413(fax), sei@alltel.net) has upgraded this indoor light trap (BL) and suggests it is most effective when it doesn’t compete with sunlight and, to a lesser degree, other light sources. Thus, it is best operated during the night with no or limited competing light sources or in dark spaces such as attics or crawl spaces. These traps are mobile and should be moved to the rooms with the most beetle activity. If the beetles can’t see the light, it won’t work. Cost of this light trap is about $140.
The Ohio State University IPM Staff developed an inexpensive trapping device for use in homes. In their tests, the homemade trap caught about 70% of the released beetles in a room. During a presentation, Dr. Joe Kovach, OSU, mentioned that an incandescent bulb worked as well as a black light tube, but a black light incandescent bulb was not very effective. The homemade trap worked better if the funnel and collecting container (both plastic milk jugs) were painted black and dusted with talc. Descriptions of both light traps listed above can be found at http://ipm.osu.edu/lady/Lighttraps.htm .
While camphor and menthol may be repellent to lady beetles, more research is needed to make the formulations last longer. Camphor cakes or crystallized camphor can be put in a knee-hi nylon stocking, the stocking knotted and hung outside of the house near known entry points; or cotton balls containing a few drops of camphor essential oil can be placed in the corner of the windows, but the oil will need frequent re-application (http://ipm.osu.edu/lady/methods.htm).
Sources:
Jones, S.C. and J. Boggs. 2001. HSE-1030-01 Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle. Ohio State University Extension. http://ohioline.osu.edu/hse-fact/1030.html
The Ohio State University Web Site, Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle http://ipm.osu.edu/lady/lady.htm
Suggested Treatment Method for the Multi-Colored Asian Lady Beetle (MALB)The Ohio State University Integrated Pest Management Program. http://ipm.osu.edu/lady/methods.htm
Vail, K. 2004. Lady Beetle Update Spring 2004 - “The Game Is Won or Lost in October”. In “What’s Happening?” University of Tennessee Extension, Entomology & Plant Pathology - EPP #60, Volume No. 1 - March 5, 2004. http://web.utk.edu/~extepp/whats/wh2004/Volume-1-04
OTHER UT NEWSLETTERS WITH PEST MANAGEMENT INFORMATION
http://web.utk.edu/~extepp/fpn/fpn.htm
Tennessee Crop and Pest Management Newsletter
http://www.utextension.utk.edu/fieldCrops/cotton/cotton_insects/ipmnewsletters.htm
This and other "What's Happening" issues can be found at http://web.utk.edu/~extepp/whatshap.htm
Precautionary Statement
To protect people and the environment, pesticides
should be used safely. This is everyone’s responsibility, especially the
user. Read and follow label directions
carefully before you buy, mix, apply, store or dispose of a pesticide. According to laws regulating pesticides, they
must be used only as directed by the label.
Disclaimer
This publication contains pesticide recommendations
that are subject to change at any time.
The recommendations in this publication are provided only as a
guide. It is always the pesticide
applicator's responsibility, by law, to read and follow all current label
directions for the specific pesticide being used. The label always takes precedence over the
recommendations found in this publication.
Use of trade or brand names in this publication is for
clarity and information; it does not imply approval of the product to the
exclusion of others that may be of similar, suitable composition, nor does it
guarantee or warrant the standard of the product. The author(s), the University of Tennessee
Institute of Agriculture and University of Tennessee Extension assume no
liability resulting from the use of these recommendations.
Visit the UT Extension Web site at http://www.utextension.utk.edu
Programs in agriculture and natural resources, 4-H youth development, family and consumer sciences, and resource development. University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture and county governments cooperating. UT Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment.