Project Number: 6402-22320-001-07
Project Type:

Start Date: Dec 01, 2003
End Date: Nov 30, 2005

Objective:
The objective fo this cooperative research project is to establish Pseudacteon curvatus flies (fam. Phoridae) as biological control agents against imported fire ants near the limits of the Federal quarantine line in Oklahoma and assess their impact.

Approach:
Host ants will be collected by ARS in southern Oklahoma and transported to the phorid fly rearing facility in Starkville, MS. A minimum of 6 large colonies will be collected. Location of each mound will be recorded using GPS system. Worker ants will be separated from soil using standard flotation techniques. Ants will be held in laboratory, and each week a cohort of ants will be removed from each colony and placed in laboratory attack box for exposure to ovipositing phorid flies. After 7 d of exposure to phorids, the parasitized ants will be shipped to the Durant,OK Cooperative Extension Service, and OSU personnel will immediately transport ants to the release site and release them into their respective mounds. If temperatures are hot and dry, approx. 1-2 gal of cool water will be applied to each mound prior to release of the parasitized ants. Four consectutive releases will be conducted. Monitoring for establishment and spread of the flies will commence in Spring 2004. OSU and ARS personnel will coordinate efforts to detect and map establishment for a period of at least 2 years.

Project Team

Vogt, James Samuel Curl - Division Director 662-686-3065

Related National Programs

Veterinary, Medical and Urban Entomology (104)