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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Imported Fire Ant and Household Insects Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #61243
Title: POTENTIAL USE OF PSEUDACTEON PHORID FLIES AS FIRE ANT BIOCONTROL AGENTS

Author
item Porter, Sanford

Submitted to: Imported Fire Ants Conference Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/2/1995
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Phorid flies in the genus Pseudacteon are a promising group of biological control agents for fire ants because: 1) they are specific in their host preferences, 2) they are broadly distributed across time, space, and climate, and 3) their impact on fire ant populations is sufficient to have caused the evolution of several phorid-specific defense behaviors. Successful release of these flies would not eradicate imported fire ants, but it might tilt the ecological balance in favor of our native ants. If this happens, fire ant populations in the United States could be reduced to levels similar to those in South America.