 |
Ornamentals and Turf |
Anytime probably seems like a good time to treat fire ants! However, spring treatments can be more effective, especially for baits. Presently the temperatures are warming, fire ant foraging is increasing, and colony populations are not yet at their peak.
In home lawns, Orthene drench and Amdro bait are, perhaps, the most widely used insecticides. There are different recommendations for mounds located in gardens, pastures, and commercial turf. Check the "North Carolina Agricultural Chemical Manual" for questions and insecticide treatment options. Good educational materials on fire ants are available from a Texas A&M University web site at: http://fireant.tamu.edu/materials/index.html.
There are also regulations regarding fire ants to be aware of in nursery crops. See the following web site for information on these regulations: http://www.ncagr.com/plantind/plant/entomol/IFA.htm.
Euthyrhynchus floridanus is a stink bug that feeds on other plant pests. It is one of the more visually attractive stink bugs with three orange spots on a dark, metallic blue background. These insects overwinter as adults probably in some dry, sheltered location. Eggs are laid the following spring. Immature Euthyrhynchus floridanus are highly aggregated and even attack larger prey in concert. Apparently, aggregation behavior allows them to successfully attack prey too large to be subdued by a single nymph. Sometimes the adults aggregate with nymphs. When the bugs jab their prey with their proboscis, they inject a toxin that slowly immobilizes the prey. Plant feeding is not reported for Euthyrhynchus floridanus. This stink bug may not have a huge impact as a beneficial, but it should recognized that it is NOT a pest species.
Employment and program opportunities are offered to all people regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability. North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments cooperating.
Last modified on May 23, 2003 by Stephen J. Toth, Jr.
