Fire Ant Research
 It is estimated that fire ants, which researchers suspect came to this country decades ago from South America on cargo ships, cost Texans about $300 million annually. In urban areas, residents spend more than $90 million each year trying to control fire ants in their lawns and gardens, repairing damage done by the pests, and obtaining medical treatment for bites. Rural Texans suffer as well. Fire ants feed on seeds and young plants, damage electrical and irrigation systems, and prevent harvesting by hand. They attack calves and other animals, resulting in increased veterinary expenses, decreased animal quality and, at times, they cause blindness and even death.
You want to get rid of your fire ant problem, who ya gonna call? Dr. Larry Gilbert, integrative biology professor at The University of Texas at Austin and director of the Brackenridge Field Laboratory, is in the forefront of the nation's fire ant research. He is developing a unique method for controlling the fire ant population. |