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VII. Fire Ants
B. L.
Sparks and K. G. Ross
Imported fire ants
are primarily a people pest. Fire ants interfere with hay harvesting, maintenance of
pastures, and some crops but present the greatest problem around dwellings where direct
contact with humans is most frequent. Concern arises from multiple stings often
experienced by young children.
Hybrid fire ants have
pushed the northern boundary into Tennessee. Red imported fire ants can be found in
Georgia as far north as Murray County on the Tennessee Border. Imported fire ants
have been reported in 156 of 159 counties in Georgia as of 1994. Polygynous
populations are present in eight Georgia counties; Barrow, Clarke, Clay, Early, Greene,
Morgan, Oconee and Walton. Polygynous fire ant colonies reach higher densities than
monogynous colonies and may be harder to control.
Estimates of
Losses and Control Costs
________________________________________________________________
Insect
Cost of Control1,2
Damage3,4
Total
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Imported fire ants
$35,962,500
$12,505,000
$48,467,500
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1 Average
treatment costs per Georgia household for lawns and other surrounding areas was $20.90
(Diffie & Sheppard. 1991. In Imported Fire ant Management: Results
of applied Research/Results Demonstrations 1987-1990. The University of
Georgia.) 2.5 million households in the infested area x 65% yards x $20.90 =
$33,962,500 spent by homeowners for control.
2
Treatment costs for quarantine requirements in nursery and sod. Approximately $125
per acre are spent on 16,000 acres, $2,000,000.
3 Average
medical costs related to fire ant stings were $4.95 per household according to Diffie
& Sheppard (1991). Assuming 2.5 million households are in the infested area x
$4.95 = $12,375,000.
4
Equipment damaged; mower, balers, etc., assume one incident for each 1,000 acres of
infested crop or pasture land. Approximately 2.6 million acres divided by 1000 acres
x $50 per incident = $130,000.
5 Ants
(excluding fire ants), billbugs, leafhoppers, and mites.
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