Fire Ants Essay -- essays research papers

Fire Ants Fire ants have been in the United States for over sixty years, and almost every American that lives in or frequently visits the quarantined states which they inhabit has had an unpleasant run in with these troublesome critters. Inhabitants of the Southeast who have ever stood unwittingly atop a fire ant mound know that the insects are aptly named. When the ants sting it creates a sensation similar to scorching caused by a hot needle touching the skin momentarily (1. Tschinkel 474). Fire ants are native to South America and were introduced to the United States in 1928 through a port in Mobile, Alabama. The ants were stowaways hidden in soil used for ballast and in dunnage dropped off the ships once they had sailed from South America to the ports of Alabama (2. Lockley 31). The two basic species of fire ants in the United States are the are black and red, they vary in length from one eighth to one quarter inch. Black fire ants arrived first followed shortly by the infamous imported red fire ants. Black ants (Solenopsis Richteri Forel) were the first to arrive and spread slowly but steadily despite government intervention to stop them from spreading(3. Lockley 33). These black ants would spread much further then the second wave of imported ants recognized as Solenopsis Invicta Buren or red fire ants(4. Lockley 33). This second wave of ants arrived in about 1945 and spread much more rapidly and dominated the previous more passive black ant(5. Lockley 34). Homer Collins, a fire ant expert, stated that "The new invader, known as the red imported fire ant, proved more adaptive and rapidly displaced the existing imported black ant. By 1949, Solenopsis Invicta Buren were the dominant species of imported fire ant. Ants could be found in commercial ornamental-plant nurseries in the heart of the Southeast." Red ants are a particularly aggressive ant species that, like the killer bees, are rapidly spreading northward from the Southeastern United States, and have traveled as far west as Texas and as far north as North Carolina. "Experts predict that the ants may eventually reach as far west as California and as far north as Chesapeake Bay."(7. Tschinkel 474). The spread of fire ants into new areas depends on many factors: the existing level of fire ant population, climate, competition, and natural predators . In areas where other ant popul... ...ed States over sixty years ago. Even in 1997 society has not found an effective way to exterminate or control the spread of these troublesome insects. As mankind chooses to genetically experiment with species and continues to connect the remote areas of the world with faster and more efficient means of moving food and goods. Occurrences of accidental transportation of troublesome pests, bacteria, and viruses will also increase. The fire ant while costly and annoying won’t cause the absolute destruction of life as we know it. Fire ants are however a reminder that ecosystems are a delicately balanced environments with forces that keep the food chain functioning. The fire ant and the African killer bee do not have natural enemies in the Southern United States that reside in South Africa. As mankind destroys the rain forests of South America for cattle grazing, he has released things like the Hunta virus, and the Ebola virus in Africa. Both of these viruses could rapidly destroy populations. Mankind has made tremendous leaps in knowledge and technology during this century. If this use of that technology is not metered and controlled intelligently it may be the downfall of the mankind.