Fire Ants of San Salvador



									Fire Ants: Two species of fire ants, the Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta) and the Tropical Fire Ant or Ginger Ant (Solenopsis geminata - pictured on the right) of special interest have been identified in ant surveys on San Salvador in the Bahamas. Fire ants, so named due to the fiery pain caused by their sting, can cause a whole host of problems for native insect and plant communities. It is evident that fire ants can have deleterious effects on native ants and terrestrial arthropods (Porter & Savignano, 1990). There is also evidence to suggest that fire ants may also exert some amount of top-down control and have cascading effects on plant folivory (Stiles & Jones, 2001). The subtle interactions between species and their environment are infinitely complex. When an invasive species is introduced to an area to which it is not adapted, many unpredictable effects can occur. Once a species has invaded in area there may be little or no chance of restoration on the system to the prior unaltered state. Click here to see the spread of S. invicta in the US.

They also have deleterious effects on agriculture and even have the potential to seriously affect human health. Agricultural damages in excess of a billion dollars a year are caused by S. invicta in the US (Lofgren, 1986). In addition, fire ants cause millions of dollars in damages to electrical systems in the US by gnawing into electrical wires (2). Although the sting of the fire ant is generally considered only a moderate annoyance, it can cause acute allergic reactions in some individuals. Many methods of control have been attempted.

Red Imported Fire Ant Anatomy

Biocontrol is the use of an invaders natural enemies, or predators, to control or extinguish the population of invaders. In the case of S. invicta, a parasitic fly larvae (Porter, 2000) in the Pseudacteon genus seems to be the preferred option for biocontrol. Pseudacteon decapitating flies parasitize ants by laying eggs in the thorax of attacked ant workers.

Learn More About Biocontrol

References:
Deyrup, M. A. 1994. Biogeographical survey of the ants of the island of San Salvador, Bahamas. Proceedings of the Fifth Symposium on the Natural History of the Bahamas. San Salvador, Bahamas.

Lofgren, C. S. 1986. The economic importance and control of imported fire ants in the United States. In “Economic Impact and Control of Social Insects” (S. B. Vinson, Ed.), pp. 227-256. Praeger, NY.

Porter, S. D., D. A. Savignano. 1990. Invasion of polygyne fire ants decimates native ants and disrupts arthropod community. Ecology 71(6): 2095-2106.

Stiles, J. H., R. H. Jones. 2001. Top-down control by the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta). Am. Midl. Nat. 146: 171-185.

Caleb Slemmons, 2004