Fire ant colonies have infested 56 million acres of Texas, about two-thirds of the state. In the five major metropolitan areas--Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio--it is estimated that homeowners lost nearly $100 million to the fire ant during 1996. Fire ants infest electrical equipment such as air conditioners, traffic boxes, and airport runway lights, causing electrical fires, equipment failure, costly repairs, and injury to service personnel and to the general public.

At The University of Texas at Austin, the effort to control this pesky statewide problem is being led by integrative biology professor Larry Gilbert, the director of UT's Brackenridge Field Laboratory. A UT graduate himself (B.A. in biology, 1966) before earning a doctorate in biological sciences at Stanford, Larry Gilbert is currently researching the way ecological systems are organized, especially the interaction between tropical flora and insects. He is an expert on the ecology and reproductive biology of the fire ant.

Before 1986, work on the fire ant invasion was carried out by University of Texas students as part of their undergraduate honors projects, graduate theses, and dissertation research. But between 1986-1994, UT Austin's fire ant research earned funding from the Texas Department of Agriculture, the American Farm Bureau Research Foundation, and the USDA Competitive Grants program. From 1994-1997, The University received funds from several foundations and agencies, including the Dougherty Foundation, the Ewing Halsell Foundation, the Fondren Foundation, the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, the Robert J. Kleberg, Jr., and Helen C. Kleberg Foundation, the National Science Foundation, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Currently UT's fire ant research is funded by the Texas Imported Fire Ant Research and Management Project, a coordinated plan established by the Texas Legislature in 1995. The annual $2.7 million project supports research efforts at Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University, The University of Texas, the Texas Department of Agriculture, and the Texas Agricultural Extension Service. This is the nation's most innovative, cooperative effort to eliminate the pest status of an exotic organism. Project researchers are investigating integrated pest management solutions, evaluating available technology, and exploring new technology such as biological control agents and potential weaknesses in the ants' biology. Larry Gilbert and his UT colleagues have determined that the phorid fly of Brazil--the fire ant's natural enemy--is an effective biocontrol agent.

In addition to research, the Texas Imported Fire Ant Research and Management Project includes community management and education programs. The Texas Agricultural Extension Service has committed personnel, expertise, and resources to help selected community groups organize, implement, and evaluate regional programs. The Texas Department of Agriculture is overseeing regulatory programs to prevent the further spread of fire ants. To assist the public, all collaborating agencies are involved in developing and disseminating information about the pests.