Biologists hatch plan to eradicate fire ant problem on campus
Published 21 Mar 2012 at 11:45 PM By Samuel Liebl
UT biologists are developing a method to reduce the prevalence of invasive fire ants by introducing their natural enemies ? parasitic flies that turn them into zombie-like ants.
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Lawrence E. Gilbert, director of the Brackenridge Field Laboratory and leader of the research, said the flies proved to be ecologically safe.
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Gilbert said he began investigating whether non-native phorid flies could provide a solution without damaging the native ecology.
?We spent the first decade researching whether the flies would choose between their natural hosts and native fire ants,? he said. ?We put them in situations of extreme choice. Even if [the phorid flies] are desperate, there is no evidence that they will switch to preying on the native fire ants.?
