March 13, 2017
By Paragon News Director Paul Joseph –
In response to the recent northwest Oklahoma and Eastern Texas Panhandle “wildland” fires, an outpouring of hay donations to help feed the many farm animals are passing through the area.
However, those donations may come with an unexpected and unwanted additional donation, Red Fire Ants.
The (ODAFF) Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry’s Kenny Naylor with the Consumer Protection Services branch says farmers and ranchers will want to take steps to prevent any unwanted consequences such as movement of red imported fire ants (RIFA) from restricted areas.
Naylor says the ants are fairly new to the western Oklahoma and to the Panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma.
As a result of the impact that the red imported fire ant poses, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has established a quarantine.
Naylor says as a result of these ants possibly coming into or through the area, the ODAFF along with OSU Extension will be surveying sites for the little critters where imported hay is stored.
If a rancher finds he or she has fire ants, there are a couple things that can be done.
Naylor reminds ranchers that stored hay bales not touching the soil are assumed to be free of fire ants.
Naylor says it’s not uncommon to find fire ants in hay bales. They like to hang out there.
Naylor says in about 40 to 45 days when the wildland fire situation has settled and when the weather is more appropriate, ODAFF will hold a public meeting with producers about the eradication of fire ants in order to keep the area free of fire ant restrictions.
According to a news release, the red imported fire ant was imported into the USA around the 1930’s and has spread to infest more than 260 million acres of land primarily in 11 southeastern states, including Texas and Oklahoma.
In Texas, the red imported fire ant is thought to have an estimated economic impact of $1.2 billion annually. Fire ants are pests of urban, agricultural and wildlife areas and can pose a serious health threat to plants and animals including humans.
To find out more about the quarantine and its regulations, contact the local OSU Extension office or the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry.
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