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Science
Friday > Archives
> 1999
> August
> August 6, 1999:
Hour Two: Ants!
| In the 1954 scifi movie "Them," giant mutant ants ravage the American southwest. But in real life, it's the southeastern US that's feeling the pinch of armies of imported fire ants. The aggressive red ants, inadvertently introduced from South America, are very effective competitors. And without the balance provided by their normal predators, the ants are slowly spreading.
The ants can deliver a painful sting when threatened, and have been known to kill birds and small animals. A few human deaths have been attributed to fire ants as well. We'll discuss the fire ant problem, as well as efforts to control fire ant populations - both through the use of chemical repellents and pesticides, and through biocontrol efforts. | 
Fire Ants On the March. US EPA image. | We'll also talk about new research into the sex lives of harvester ants. A report out this week in the journal Science says that colonies of ants in which the queens are more sexually promiscuous seem to grow more quickly than other colonies. Why? Does more genetic diversity within a colony may make a colony more fit? We'll find out. Join guest host Brooke Gladstone for an ant extravaganza on this hour of Science Friday.
Guests:
Blaine Cole
Assistant Professor
Division of Evolutionary Biology and Ecology
Department of Biology and Biochemistry
University of Houston, Houston, Texas.
Larry Gilbert
Professor
Section of Integrative Biology
Director, Brakenridge Field Laboratory
University of Texas at Austin
Austin, Texas
Sanford Porter
Research Entomologist
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Agricultural Research Service
Gainesville, Florida.
Books/Articles Discussed:
Related Links:
Invasive Alien Species - Fire Ant
Imported Fire Ants Research and Management
Publications available on the Red Imported Fire Ant
Myrmecology - The Scientific Study Of Ants.
Ant Links on the World Wide Web
Japanese Ants Color Image Database: Home
- This segment produced by:
Tom Clarke
Web producer:
Charles Bergquist
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