bees, wasps, ants, sawflies…. hymenoptera hymen: membrane ptera: wings complete chewing
TRANSCRIPT
HYMENOPTERA
2 pair or wingless– Both membranous
Ovipositor can be a stingerOften complex social order
Fire Ants
• Winged males and Winged males and females fly as high females fly as high as 2000’ to mateas 2000’ to mate
• Go as far as 3 Go as far as 3 milesmiles
• 99.9% of winged 99.9% of winged ants die from ants die from predationpredation
Fire Ants
• The lucky queen The lucky queen burrows into burrows into ground and ground and raises a few raises a few workersworkers
• She eats her She eats her wings for nutrition wings for nutrition until workers until workers bring foodbring food
Fire Ants
• Queen lays 100,000 to 300,000 eggs a year
• She can live as long as 7 years
• That’s almost 21 million eggs!
Fire Ants• Workers bring food to larvae
• Larvae predigest food for adult ants
• They are the “food testers”
• Bait insecticides work slow enough to make it to the queen
IMPORTED FIRE ANT (91)
DAMAGE
• Reduce predation on other plant pests
• Disruptive mounds in turf and beds
• Feed on bark of young plants
IMPORTED FIRE ANT (91)
CONTROL
Reintroduce natural predators: Phorid fly
• Lay egg on foraging workers
• Maggot burrows into
worker’s head
IMPORTED FIRE ANT (91)
CONTROL
Reintroduce natural predators: Phorid fly
• Head falls off
• Reduces aggressiveness and foraging
IMPORTED FIRE ANT (91)
CONTROL
Reintroduce natural predators: Parasitic ants
• Lack workers, only queens and males
• Parasitic ant attaches to IFA queen
• Redirects workers to her colony
• IFA colony deteriorates
IMPORTED FIRE ANT (91)
CONTROL
• Baits: kill the queen
• Chemicals: move the mound
• Sticky bands on trunk
• Fipronil lasts for one year
• http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2011/04/27/135716373/water-cant-put-out-a-fire-ant-raft
INSECT GALLS (160)
• Adults lay eggs
• Plant cells divide faster, hyperplasia
• Swelling on leaf or stem
• Larvae develop inside gall, feed on gall