# Fire Ant Concern in hay



## downtownjr (Apr 8, 2008)

[background=rgb(255, 255, 255)]
The Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) and the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) is concerned that the drought and the influx of out-of-state hay could bring fire ants into the state. The agencies are asking those purchasing hay from out-of-state, to make sure that hay is not from an area of the country under quarantine for fire ants. Quarantine Areas can be found here http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/fireants/downloads/fireant-2.pdf[/background][background=rgb(255, 255, 255)]
Under USDA regulations, in quarantine areas, baled hay and straw that is in direct contact with the ground or contains soil may not be moved outside of the quarantine area. Still, hay that meets certain requirements in the quarantine area may not be regulated or may not have movement restrictions.[/background][background=rgb(255, 255, 255)]
Rules for those in area to be able to import hay ... http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/fireants/downloads/BaledHayProducers.pdf[/background][background=rgb(255, 255, 255)]
Background info on fire ants in hay for producers and consumers...[/background][background=rgb(255, 255, 255)]
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/BaledHayIndustryAlert.pdf[/background]


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Doubt seriously if fireants could survive a normal Indiana winter.....just too dang cold for these South America carpetbaggers. It is believed by most that their most Northerly range is about what it is now.

Regards, Mike


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## jdm13 (Jun 23, 2011)

that is too much common sense for the government mike every load i send north has to be certified by a county inspector and the papers for the load have to be shown at the weigh stations or the load is put in quarantine. east and west is fine just not north and the hay can not be on the ground for more than 24hrs ever or it cant be certified.


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## Hand&Hand Farms (Feb 5, 2011)

OK. That explains a lot. We here in MS been hearing a lot about this. So it can't sit on ground for 24 hours and County Agent has to sign off on it. No problem for us on square bales. Can round be put in barn and still OK?


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## hay wilson in TX (Jan 28, 2009)

Twenty five years ago this part of the world was all upset about the coming of the fire ant. Under the reign of Queen Ann Richards there were some restrictive rules that sere strange. These strange regulations were of little value, though they were instructive. 
How the ant spreads is during mating flight, when the queen is mated she falls to the ground and where she falls is the site of a new colonaly. 
We would have hundreds landing on the roof of buildings and sliding down to the ground. That was interesting. 
The queens also landed on trucks and trains and when they fall off that is where they start their colony.
For a few years you could walk the length of a pasture, stepping on fire ant mounds. 
It was bad in pastures where cows are calving. The ants go for the tender parts.

Presently I can mow an entire hay meadow and not hit one fire ant mound. Their natural preditors have found them!

Established colonies now can be found as far north as I-40 if there is a structure to increase the winter protection. North of I-40 it is believed they can not over winter.

For maybe 10 years they were hard on the ground nesting critters. Hard on the quail, & bunnies but we did enjoy the chigger free lawns. The chiggers are back.

Worst was they are attracted by electricity. They messed up traffic lights. Air Conditioners, well pump motor controles, &c.

Indiana is not wrong in wanting to keep the ant out. Until freeze up they can be a problem.

I can tell you from experience you do not want to handle hay bales that are sitting on the ground. Hay is in the barn the day it is baled. That helps. But when they are bad they will be in the windrows and baled up with the hay. Another reason to cure the hay in a wide swath not a windrow.



downtownjr said:


> [background=rgb(255, 255, 255)]
> The Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) and the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) is concerned that the drought and the influx of out-of-state hay could bring fire ants into the state. The agencies are asking those purchasing hay from out-of-state, to make sure that hay is not from an area of the country under quarantine for fire ants. Quarantine Areas can be found here http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/fireants/downloads/fireant-2.pdf[/background][background=rgb(255, 255, 255)]
> Under USDA regulations, in quarantine areas, baled hay and straw that is in direct contact with the ground or contains soil may not be moved outside of the quarantine area. Still, hay that meets certain requirements in the quarantine area may not be regulated or may not have movement restrictions.[/background][background=rgb(255, 255, 255)]
> Rules for those in area to be able to import hay ... http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/fireants/downloads/BaledHayProducers.pdf[/background][background=rgb(255, 255, 255)]
> ...


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Thats pretty interesting Wilson...especially about the ants existing to about I-40....I live about 6 miles South of I-40 and this is about the most Northerly range of those little heathen devils. See a mound occasionally poof in my disc mower but usually they disappear after a short while. BTW, my county is the last Easternmost county shown in the fireant quarantine map....but I dont let my hay set but just a short while and I sell my ground bales to a fella that operates a petting zoo.

Regards, Mike


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## hay wilson in TX (Jan 28, 2009)

HERE, I stack all my hay on a rack pad, both in the barn and outside RB storage. That helps as there is no damp hay to attract them. 
We do see Fire Ant mounds outside the barn, under the drip line.

I sprinkle Orthene from Valent on the mounds. 
For pasture and for long term control spread logic in the area of the mounds but not non the mounds. Logic is a bait that when fed to the queen stops the brood. Takes a month before you relize the ants are gone. About a week after the Logic you can sprinkle Orthene on every mound you can find. The logic kills the queens, the Orthene kills the workers.

The last few years I have only used the Orthene. OBTW that stuff stinks big time.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Yes it does stink, we are always battling fire ants here. Haven't heard of the logic, guess thats what is in the stuff they sell at lowes for broadcasting over the entire yard, thought about that for my field just figured it would be cost prohibitive. We now just walk and ride field and put out that stinking orthene.


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## terraceridge (Jul 21, 2011)

I used to apply Amdro granules to the mounds, but it has quit working the last few years. I now use Terro granules. It seems to work very well. Terro also makes a liquid to control ants in houses and outbuildings.


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## Grateful11 (Apr 5, 2009)

hay wilson in TX said:


> Twenty five years ago this part of the world was all upset about the coming of the fire ant. Under the reign of Queen Ann Richards there were some restrictive rules that sere strange. These strange regulations were of little value, though they were instructive.
> How the ant spreads is during mating flight, when the queen is mated she falls to the ground and where she falls is the site of a new colonaly.
> We would have hundreds landing on the roof of buildings and sliding down to the ground. That was interesting.
> The queens also landed on trucks and trains and when they fall off that is where they start their colony.
> ...


What are the natural predators of Fire Ants? They're showing up bad here in NC because of all the rain we've had. The last two Summers you couldn't hardly even find a mound. They tell me as the water table rises the come up closer to the surface with taller mounds. They're crafty little Bas...ds.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

There is a fly that they have been working with that is a natural predator, the ant is killed and a larva enters he head, head falls off of something like that. Probably a mutation of the fly that lays those stinking maggots on my Bermuda grass.......pick your poison.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

A few years ago I read where our state had gained permission to test the ant eating fly predator in a few counties. I have not heard if they were ever granted permission to introduce the species to other counties or not.
The native origins of fire ants do not have a problem because of natural predators. It is said you can kick a mount and the flies will soon be there harvesting the fire ants.
I would love to see that here.


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