FIRE ANTS:  [NS: fire ant stridulations].  What loathsome 
creature is making this sound? Find out… on 
Passport to Texas.

This is Passport to Texas

The imported red fire ant can ruin a beautiful 
spring or fall day outdoors.

08—We typically see most activity in the spring and in the 
fall. It’s nice, and that’s generally when we like being 
outside, too, unfortunately.

Elizabeth “Wizzie” Brown, an entomologist with 
AgriLife Extension says researchers continue to 
work on ways to manage this non-native pest, which 
is a threat to wildlife. 

29—We  have had things that we’re working on…things 
like fungus, and there’s organisms that live in the fire ant 
body that reduce the reproductive capabilities of the fire 
ants. They have brought in parasitizing flies, that are 
called phorid flies that they use that attack the fire ants 
and pretty much eat them from the inside out. So we are 
working on it, but the fire ants are here—they’re always 
going to be here; these are just tools in our tool belts to 
help up manage those populations.

Use the Texas two-step method to combat fire ants… 
now through mid-October: first, broadcast an insecticide 
bait across your entire yard, and then treat individual 
mounds with an approved insecticidal drench, bait, 
granule or dust.

The WR program supports our series.

That’s our show… For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m 
Cecilia Nasti. 











Total sound bite time:		        0:37.0
Maximum Script time:		        0:48.0                 Suggested show time: 85.0 = 1:25