Planned Phorid Fly Release Will Turn Fire Ants Into Walking Zombies - Parasites Eat Their Brains

[hatrack]

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Zombies are wandering into a yard near you, but have no fear — they're red imported fire ants, and their brains have been eaten away by phorid fly maggots. It might sound gross, but researchers hope that by releasing the tiny, parasitic fly, they will have unleashed a new tool in the ongoing fight to control the fire ant population in Texas. The phorid fly comes from South America and only attacks imported fire ants, not native organisms, according to researchers.

"The USDA has done a lot of research to make sure it won't impact other species," said Scott Ludwig, a pest management specialist with the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Overton. "If this would impact other ants, that would actually be detrimental," he said. "We're trying to enable the other organisms that fire ants are competing with to gain a foothold again."

Though different species of phorid fly have been released at sites around Texas, this is the first release in East Texas, Ludwig said.

The phorid flies work by dive-bombing an ant's head and laying eggs that hatch into maggots. The maggots munch the ant's brain, the ant wanders away from the mound, its head falls off, and it dies. They can continue to sting until they die.

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http://www.news-journal.com/news/content/news/stories/2009/06/12/06122009_fire_ants.html