My name ls kelll Crow and Lhls ls a presenLauon of my paper, 8ed lmporLed llre AnLs:

1he Clobal LnvlronmenLal and Lconomlc lmpacLs of Lhe lnvaslve Specles on Wlldllfe,
AgrlculLure, and eople.
1
1he red lmporLed re anL ls an lnvaslve specles and slgnlcanL pesL aecung Lhe
souLhern unlLed SLaLes and many oLher reglons ln Lhe world. 8ed lmporLed re anLs
are more aggresslve Lhan nauve specles of anLs, whlch Lhey compeLe wlLh and
successfully ellmlnaLe. 1hey creaLe large mounds as nesLs, and lf an anlmal or human
lnadverLenLly dlsLurbs Lhe mound, Lhe anLs swarm and auack. 1helr mound bulldlng
can damage planL rooLs, lead Lo loss of crops, and mechanlcal devlces and elecLronlc
equlpmenL. 8ed lmporLed re anLs cosL Lhe unlLed SLaLes bllllons of dollars a year ln
crop loss, llvesLock loss, publlc healLh, and mechanlcal and elecLronlc equlpmenL
repalrs.
2
uamage caused by red lmporLed re anLs cosL Lhe unlLed SLaLes over ve bllllon dollars
annually [usL for repalrs, medlcal LreaLmenL, and conLrol ln areas LhaL are lnfesLed. ln addluon
Lo Lhls, red lmporLed re anLs cause 730 mllllon dollars annually ln agrlculLural damage
lncludlng crop loss, llvesLock loss, and mechanlcal repalrs.
8ed lmporLed re anLs cause damage Lo crops by damaglng Lhe rooLs of planLs, eaung
lmmaLure planLs, and damaglng equlpmenL used Lo harvesL Lhe crops. 1hey also klll beneclal
polllnaLors such as ground nesung bee specles. 8ed lmporLed re anLs damage lnfrasLrucLure
by bulldlng mounds and nesung ln foundauons, bulldlngs, elecLrlcal boxes, and oLher
sLrucLures. 1he anLs feed on ground dwelllng lnsecLs, and sung and klll ground-nesung
rodenLs, blrds, and llzards. 1he red lmporLed re anLs can compleLely ellmlnaLe all ground-
nesung specles from an lnfesLed area. 8ed lmporLed re anLs can even klll newborn calves.
Sungs from red lmporLed re anLs on humans are also an lmporLanL publlc healLh concern.
Lgg laylng and ground dwelllng specles are mosL llkely Lo be aecLed by red lmporLed re
anLs. 1he anLs can declmaLe repule, blrd, and small mammal populauons and creaLe many
envlronmenLal changes because of Lhls. 1he composluon of Lhe ecologlcal communlLy can be
alLered slgnlcanLly, causlng shorL and long Lerm damage Lo Lhe lnfesLed area.
8epules and amphlblans are exLremely vulnerable Lo re anLs due Lo Lhelr egg laylng. 8ed
lmporLed re anLs prey on eggs and haLchllngs of repules and amphlblans. 8ed lmporLed re
anLs can also lndlrecLly lmpacL Lhe developmenL and survlval of repules and amphlblans by
reduclng survlval raLe of Lhe young, forclng changes ln foraglng and hablLaL use, and reduclng
food avallablllLy. 1he presence of red lmporLed re anLs ln Lhe nesLs of repules and
amphlblans reduces Lhe auenuon glven Lo Lhe young by Lhe moLhers and reduced welghL
galn of Lhe haLchllngs. Some specles of LurLles have been shown Lo abandon nesung auempLs
aer belng dlsLurbed by re anLs.
3
8ed lmporLed re anLs have even been shown Lo have an lmpacL on Lhe populauon of
small mammals such as rabblLs, mlce, raLs, and muskraLs. 8ed lmporLed re anLs
lmpacL breedlng and survlval of Lhe young, as well as dlsrupung foraglng and normal
behavlors of Lhe mammals. 8ed lmporLed re anLs aecL even some larger mammals,
such as deer fawn, due Lo lnapproprlaLe defense behavlor such as freezlng when
danger ls deLecLed.
4
Cnce lnLroduced Lo a new area, red lmporLed re anLs oen become Lhe domlnanL
anL specles due Lo Lhelr hlgh raLes of reproducuon, lack of predaLors, and aggresslve
foraglng behavlor. 1yplcally ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes Lhe red lmporLed re anLs llve ln
polygyne colonles, whlch average around 300 mounds, buL can reach up Lo 1400
mounds ln one area. ln AusLralla, colonles wlLh as many as 3000 mounds have been
found. A hlgh number of mounds ln a colony of red lmporLed re anLs wlll resulL ln
more negauve lmpacLs of nauve specles.
3
uamage Lo elecLronlc equlpmenL ls one of Lhe blggesL economlc lmpacLs creaLed by
Lhe red lmporLed re anL. A wanderlng re anL wlll cause an elecLrlcal shorL and
auempL Lo sung Lhe wlre, produclng pheromones LhaL draw addluonal anLs Lo Lhe
area. 1he anLs lnfesL elecLrlcal equlpmenL and bulld nesLs, creaung shorL clrculLs,
sLrlpplng lnsulauon from wlres, causlng malfuncuons Lo mechanlcal swlLches, and
Lhen auacklng repalr Lechnlclans. 1hey have been reporLed Lo desLroy Lramc slgnals,
creaung a dangerous and expenslve problem for many sLaLes, speclcally 1exas. 1he
red lmporLed re anL ls also a ma[or cause of alr condluoner fallures, belng Lhe
reporLed cause of over one Lhlrd of repalrs ln many lnfesLed areas. 1elevlslons, well
pump conLrols, Lelephone [uncuons, sLreeL lamps, uullLy meLers, elecLrlcal plugs, and
Lransformers are also frequenLly damaged by red lmporLed re anLs.
6
1he red lmporLed re anL ls nauve Lo SouLh Amerlca. 1hls ls a map LhaL shows Lhe
nauve spread of Lhe anL.
7
1he red lmporLed re anL was lnLroduced Lo Lhe unlLed SLaLes Lhrough Lhe porL of
Moblle, Alabama ln Lhe laLe 1930s. uue Lo Lhe aggresslve naLure of Lhe red lmporLed
re anL, slnce lLs lnLroducuon lL has spread rapldly. 1he red lmporLed re an has
spread Lhrough souLhern unlLed SLaLes, lnfesung 17 sLaLes and uerLo 8lco and
replaclng Lwo nauve specles of anL and dlsplaclng Lhe black lmporLed re anL. Cver
291,442,320 acres of land are lnfesLed. 1hls map shows Lhe spread of Lhe red
lmporLed re anL ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes.
8
CLher counLrles LhaL are aecLed lnclude AusLralla, Lhe Carlbbean, 1halland, 1alwan,
Lhe hlllpplnes, Pong kong, and souLhern Chlna. 1hls map shows Lhe global spread of
Lhe red lmporLed re anL.
9
8ed lmporLed re anLs have adapLed Lo survlve droughL and oodlng condluons. 1hey
are exLremely reslllenL. When Lhe anLs sense hlgh waLer levels, Lhe colony groups
LogeLher lnLo a ball wlLh Lhe queen proLecLed on Lhe lnslde. 1hey oaL Lhrough Lhe
oodwaLer unul Lhey hlL a branch or oLher ob[ecL ouL of Lhe waLer, whlch Lhey Lhen
swarm onLo unul Lhe waLer recedes. 8ed lmporLed re anL nesL lnclude Lunnels LhaL
exLend Lo Lhe waLer Lable Lo allow Lhe colony of anLs Lo survlve droughL condluons.
8ed lmporLed re anLs can survlve exLreme cold condluons lncludlng LemperaLures as
low as 16 degrees lahrenhelL. 1hese facLors could allow for Lhe red lmporLed re anL
Lo spread furLher across Lhe unlLed SLaLes.
10
ln response Lo Lhe growlng red lmporLed re anL lnvaslon, many counLrles lncludlng
Lhe unlLed SLaLes have seL up survey and quaranunes Lo deLecL and conLaln Lhe anL.
1here are also several blologlcal and physlcal meLhods used as counLermeasures.
MosL frequenLly, red lmporLed re anLs have been conLrolled wlLh pesuclde use.
SLarung ln Lhe 1930s, for over LwenLy years a pesuclde called Mlrex was wldely used
Lo ellmlnaLe Lhe specles. Powever, Lhe pesuclde kllled nauve anL specles LhaL
successfully compeLed wlLh red lmporLed re anLs as well as Lhe red lmporLed re anL
whlch lnadverLenLly alded ln Lhe spread of Lhe lnvaslve specles. Mlrex also
conLrlbuLed Lo Lhe decllne of overwlnLerlng blrds such as Lhe Loggerhead Shrlke.
11
8lologlcal meLhods used Lo conLrol Lhe red lmporLed re anL lnclude paLhogens and
fungl. A parasluc anL lnvades red lmporLed re anL colonles and replaces Lhe queen ln
order Lo galn conLrol of Lhe colony, and has been researched as a blologlcal meLhod of
conLrol for red lmporLed re anLs.
12
horld les LhaL parasluze Lhe anL by laylng an egg lnslde Lhe red lmporLed re anL
have also been explored. When Lhe egg haLches, larva gradually devours Lhe conLenLs
of Lhe anL's head, decaplLaung Lhe anL ln Lhe process. 1hese les have been
lnLroduced ln many places ln souLheasLern unlLed SLaLes and are slowly reproduclng
Lo cover all areas lnfesLed by Lhe red lmporLed re anL. 1he anLs however, appear Lo
be aware of Lhe les and cease foraglng when Lhey are near, maklng lnfesLauon by
Lhe y dlmculL. horld les are specles speclc, and do noL dlsLurb nauve anL specles.
13
SclenusLs have also lnfecLed phorld les wlLh a spore-produclng lnsecL paLhogen
whlch may help conLrol Lhe red lmporLed re anL specles. 1he les are noL aecLed by
Lhe paLhogen, [usL servlng as a means of dellvery of Lhe paLhogen Lo Lhe anL. 1he
paLhogen has been show Lo reduce red lmporLed re anL colonles by 33-100 percenL.
8esearchers are also conslderlng a vlrus, Slnv-1, LhaL has been found Lo aecL re
anLs. lL has been proven Lo be self-susLalnlng and Lransmlsslble and once lnLroduced
can ellmlnaLe a colony wlLhln Lhree monLhs.
1here are problems wlLh uslng blologlcal meLhods Lo conLrol lnvaslve specles,
however. Pasuly adopLed blologlcal conLrol agenLs can poLenually do more harm Lhan
good, dlsrupung Lhe ecologlcal envlronmenL even more Lhan Lhe lnvaslve specles
orlglnally dld.
14
hyslcal meLhods Lo conLrol red lmporLed re anLs lnclude exLreme LemperaLure
changes such as lnserung llquld nlLrogen lnLo 8llA nesLs and pourlng bolllng waLer
lnLo nesLs. roblems wlLh Lhls meLhod ls LhaL queens Lend Lo be several feeL
underground, and lf Lhe LemperaLure change doesn'L reach Lhe queen, Lhen Lhe anLs
wlll conunue Lo reproduce. Mound drenches, where large volumes of a Loxlc llquld
are poured over a mound, surface dusLs, where a dusL or granular lnsecuclde ls
sprlnkled over Lhe mound and Lhen waLer ls poured over lL, mound ln[ecuons, where
lnsecucldes are ln[ecLed lnLo a mound, balLs, where balL wlLh polson ls sprlnkled
around Lhe mound for Lhe anLs Lo brlng back lnLo Lhe colony and feed on, mechanlcal
conLrol, and broadcasL conLrol are all physlcal meLhods of Lreaung lndlvldual mounds.
1he dlsadvanLage Lo Lhese meLhods are LhaL each mound musL be locaLed and
LreaLed lndlvldually, whlch ls dlmculL when a colony has several hundred mounds. ln
AusLralla, colonles of red lmporLed re anLs have been eecuvely conLrolled uslng
food laced wlLh conLracepuves LhaL render Lhe colony's queen lnferule.
13
1he red lmporLed re anL ls exLremely reslllenL and Lherefore spreads qulckly. lL has
Lhe ablllLy Lo compleLely wlpe ouL lnsecLs, blrds, and llzards from an lnfesLed area,
causlng masslve ecologlcal damage. 8ed lmporLed re anLs cause bllllons of dollars of
damage Lo crops and mechanlcal equlpmenL. 8ed lmporLed re anLs are also
dangerous Lo llvesLock, small anlmals, and humans. 1helr sungs are exLremely palnful
and Lhey auack en masse. Cuaranunes, pesucldes, blologlcal meLhods, and physlcal
meLhods have been used Lo combaL Lhe red lmporLed re anL lnvaslon, however Lhey
have been somewhaL lneecuve wlLh Lhe excepuon of some blologlcal meLhods,
whlch may have Lhelr own severe envlronmenLal lmpacLs.
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