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Red imported fire ants have plagued American farmers, homeowners and landscapers for more than 50 years. Over the past decade, they?EUR??,,????'?????< Researchers have pinpointed a naturally occurring virus that kills the ants. (Fire ants arrived in the U.S. in the 1930s and now cause $6 billion in damage annually nationwide, including about $1.2 billion in Texas.) The virus caught the attention of U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers in Florida in 2002. The agency is now seeking commercial partners to develop the virus into a pesticide to control fire ants. The virus was found in about 20 percent of fire ant fields, where it appears to cause the slow death of infected colonies. The virus isn?EUR??,,????'?????< Among them is the small phorid fly, which seeks out fire ants and lays its eggs on them. The eggs hatch into tiny maggots that bore into the heads of their host and feed on its brains. Some Texans may have thought the fire ant problem was improving. Drought conditions across much of the state in recent years have only driven them deeper under ground. Despite their nasty bite, the fire ant isn?EUR??,,????'?????< Source: Associated Press
Red imported fire ants have plagued American farmers, homeowners and landscapers for more than 50 years. Over the past decade, they?EUR??,,????'?????<
Researchers have pinpointed a naturally occurring virus that kills the ants. (Fire ants arrived in the U.S. in the 1930s and now cause $6 billion in damage annually nationwide, including about $1.2 billion in Texas.)
The virus caught the attention of U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers in Florida in 2002. The agency is now seeking commercial partners to develop the virus into a pesticide to control fire ants.
The virus was found in about 20 percent of fire ant fields, where it appears to cause the slow death of infected colonies.
The virus isn?EUR??,,????'?????<
Among them is the small phorid fly, which seeks out fire ants and lays its eggs on them. The eggs hatch into tiny maggots that bore into the heads of their host and feed on its brains.
Some Texans may have thought the fire ant problem was improving. Drought conditions across much of the state in recent years have only driven them deeper under ground.
Despite their nasty bite, the fire ant isn?EUR??,,????'?????<
Source: Associated Press
Francisco Uviña, University of New Mexico
Hardscape Oasis in Litchfield Park
Ash Nochian, Ph.D. Landscape Architect
November 12th, 2025
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