Fire Ants on the Rise In Coastal Virginia

NORFOLK, Va. - Fire ants are showing up in greater numbers in coastal Virginia, where the ants appear to thrive in the favorable climate of the coastal region.

Infestations of the ants have been reported in greater numbers since 2000 than in all of the 1990s, according to Virginia's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Office of Plant and Pest Services. Seventy-eight infestations were confirmed in South Hampton Roads between 1990 and 1999, compared with 124 detected between 2000 and the first part of 2006.

Of the 318 cases of infestation in Virginia, 64 percent have been in South Hampton Roads, according to state records.

The ants also have been discovered in Accomack, Chesterfield, Henrico, York, Isle of Wight, Gloucester and James City counties, and the cities of Hampton, Newport News, Richmond, Williamsburg and Franklin.

The number of Virginia infestation cases has increased because of dry weather conditions that interfered with the treatment process. The chemical used to combat the pests, Dursban, also was phased out and a less effective treatment was introduced.

Another major factor has been an increase in the building of homes, subdivisions and malls, which require the importation of soil, mulch, plants, sod and other products that can be infested by the ants.

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Source: Yahoo News