Fire ants wander aimlessly away from the mound.
Eventually their heads fall off, and they die.
The strange part is that researchers at the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M's AgriLife Extension Service say making "zombies" out of fire ants is a good thing.
"It's a tool — they're not going to completely wipe out the fire ant, but it's a way to control their population," said Scott Ludwig , an integrated pest management specialist with the AgriLife Extension Service in Overton , in East Texas .
The tool is the tiny phorid fly, native to a region of South America where the fire ants in Texas originated. Researchers have learned that there are as many as 23 phorid species along with pathogens that attack fire ants to keep their population and movements under control.
So far, four phorid species have been introduced in Texas .
The flies "dive-bomb" the fire ants and lay eggs. The maggot that hatches inside the ant eats away at the brain, and the ant starts exhibiting what some might say is zombie-like behavior.
"At some point, the ant gets up and starts wandering," said Rob Plowes, a research associate at UT.
The maggot eventually migrates into the ant's head, but Plowes said he "wouldn't use the word 'control' to describe what is happening. There is no brain left in the ant, and the ant just starts wandering aimlessly. This wandering stage goes on for about two weeks."
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Wicked!
Do these phorid flies dive bomb other creatures as well?
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I heard about this a while ago on a animal planet special how do you feel about top secret science labs NOW????
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do you have to step on these ants in the head?
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i heard of this before
i think i seen it on the boob=tube bout 3 yrs back on discovery channel -
and yet there are crazier things still!
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The natural world is so amazing! You think you have a basic understanding of things but then things like this come from out of left field. Cool post
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Man that is downright wicked mean and evil. I love it. I hate ants!!!!
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and what becomes of the phorid fly when the fire ants are gone? its not native to our area, will it go after lady bugs next? I hope it works, fire ants are nasty critters.
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It seems that whenever we intoduce a new species somwhere it backfires on us, I'm of the opinion that while this sounds like a good way to get rid of those pesky fire ants, there is the question of what will they go after next? other native ants? what will keep these kritters in check? another species of frogs? where does it stop? the fire ants aren't native fine they are a pest that should be eliminated but at what cost?
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ANTS!
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TEXAS ANTS!
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IT ATE MY FRAKING GUITAR! AHHHHHHHHHH!
