1995a, 1995b). 7:11. Pseudacteon species reproduce by laying eggs in the thorax of the ant. They also have an unusual attraction to electrical systems and can clog or short out water pumps or breaker boxes, he explained. When an opening arises, the flies dive-bomb sharply towards an unwitting ant, piercing an egg inside their body using their uniquely adapted ovipositor (the egg-laying ‘sting’). A fly injects an egg into an ant’s thorax. Browse more videos. A gravid female phorid fly seeks out foraging ants to parasitize, and most flies appear to specialize on specific species of ants or at least a group of congeners. Decapitating Phorid Flies Attacking Imported Fire Ants. For example, our native Texas fire ants have 8 species of their own phorid flies, and they do not attack the imported fire ant - that's why we have to bring the specific phorid flies that attack the imported fire ant from the countries from which the ants were imported. 2004. Meanwhile, other studies will look at changes within fire ant colonies that may occur if flies reduce resources reaching the colonies. Multiple species of Pseudacteon phorid flies (Diptera: Phoridae) are currently being released throughout the southern United States to aid biological control of red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). Adult flies hover above ant mounds, waiting to come in contact with a foraging worker ant. Bait-formulated insecticides are commonly used to control fire ant populations in urban areas, but the cost — about $10 per acre per year — often keeps farmers and ranchers from applying it to their land. “Then other natural controls — like the phorid flies and Thelohania — have a chance to keep the number of fire ants down, thus spreading the cost of baits out over a longer period and making it affordable.”. Therefore, the chance of the population mushrooming out of control is small, Barr said. Plowes R.M., LeBrun E.G., Gilbert L.E. “Ranchers can treat large areas with the bait, knocking populations to manageable numbers,” Barr said. But the scientists think the finding might help them speed laboratory production of flies for outdoor release against the ants. Multiple species of Pseudacteon phorid flies (Diptera: Phoridae) are currently being released throughout the southern United States to aid biological control of red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). On the positive side, Phorid flies can be beneficial as multiple species of Pseudacteon Phorid flies are currently known to be biological control agents of red imported fire ants. Cobyjordan. Adult flies hover above ant mounds, waiting to come in contact with a foraging worker ant. 1993, Disney 1994, Porter et al. "They're not going to completely wipe out the fire ant, but it's a way to control their population," said Scott Ludwig, an integrated pest management specialist with Texas A&M's AgriLife Extension Service in Overton, in East Texas. Host specificity tests. As part of their commitment to offering the best pest control advice to visitors of their website, the Depestify platform boasts of resources such as how to get rid of … fruit flies, fungus gnats, …, What Attracts Palmetto Bugs? Lines and paragraphs break automatically. The biting, territorial fire ants cost the Texas economy about $US1 billion ($A1.31 billion) annually by damaging electrical equipment, according to a Texas A&M study. Red River Crops Conference goes virtual Jan. 20-21, Allowed HTML tags:

. Informa Markets, a trading division of Informa PLC. Phorid flies also represent a new and hopeful means by which to control fire ant populations in the southern United States, where some species of fire ants were accidentally introduced in the 1930s.The genus Pseudacteon, or ant-decapitating flies, of which 110 species have been documented, is a parasitoid of ants. Discovery 308,815 views. Phorid flies in the genus Pseudacteon are 1) highly specific parasitoids, 2) broadly distributed across geography and climate, and 3) strongly affect fire ant foraging behavior. He and his Texas A&M University graduate student, Alejandro Calixto, have headed up an experiment in which Brazilian phorid flies establish, overwinter and expand their range to an area about one-half mile wide and one mile long near Caldwell.

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