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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Biological Control of Pests Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #180478
Title: Regional Integrated Management of Imported Fire Ants along the Natchez Trace Parkway

Author
item Vogt, James
item Streett, Douglas
item Chen, Jian
item THEAD, LARRY - MS DEPT OF AG & COMMERCE
item WARD, KENNETH - ALABAMA A&M UNIV.
item WARD, RUFINA - ALABAMA A&M UNIV.
item OLIVER, JASON - OTIS FLOYD NURSERY RES

Submitted to: George Wright Society Conference Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/20/2005
Publication Date: 1/10/2006
Citation: Vogt, J. T., Streett, D. A., Chen, J., Thead, L. G., Ward, K., Ward, R., Oliver, J. A. 2006. Regional Integrated Management of Imported Fire Ants along the Natchez Trace Parkway. 2005 George Wright Society Conference Proceedings. pgs. 76-81.

Interpretive Summary: Imported fire ants are a threat to visitors, wildlife, and facilities in National Parks such as the Natchez Trace Parkway. The USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, Biological Control of Pests Research Unit in Stoneville, Mississippi has partnered with several universities and other Government agencies to develop and implement fire ant management solutions in cooperation with National Park Service and the Parkway. Ongoing research is geared toward establishment of additional phorid fly species as well as fire ant diseases, development of improved fire ant baits and repellents, and better monitoring methods for fire ant populations. The results of this work will benefit the National Park Service and their visitors, other researchers, and the public throughout the range of imported fire ants.

Technical Abstract: The USDA, Agricultural Research Service in Stoneville, MS is partnering with several universities and Government agencies to develop and implement integrated pest management systems against imported fire ants. The Natchez Trace Parkway serves as a natural north-south transect that extends through the range of red, black, and hybrid imported fire ants. Three specific areas of work have been identified for research and implementation: biological control (with parasitoids and disease agents), preservation of native ant species (with repellents and species-specific baits), and enhanced monitoring methods (using remote sensing techniques). Implementation of the regional integrated management program along the Natchez Trace Parkway will facilitate technology transfer among program participants and to end users such as National Park Service.