Grown Here at Home: Virginia Cooperative Extension warns of Hybrid Fire Ants

(WDBJ) - Virginia Cooperative Extension is keeping an eye on hybrid fire ants.

“We’ve seen farms that have anywhere from one mound to we have one now that has 58 mounds in a field,” said Amy Byington, extension agent for Virginia Cooperative Extension.

If a mound isn’t taken care of immediately, more will start popping up rapidly.

“The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, whenever you first have cases, they will try to treat them and mitigate it. As it gets to the point where there’s no controlling it, and it’s obvious it’s going to be there, they’ll quarantine a county,” Byington explained.

Anything that’s been in contact with soil on a farmer’s operation like hay, produce, flowers, or trees, must be inspected before it goes anywhere.

“These mounds can get up to two feet tall. If you hit a piece of equipment with them it can cause some serious issues for your equipment,” Byington said.

She said what’s even more concerning is the harm these ants can do to people and animals.

“As soon as their mound is disturbed, even with vibrations, they start coming out and they are in fight mode. Some people will have an allergic reaction. There was even a death in North Carolina. If a calf is born in a field near these mounds the mother may not notice. There have been incidences of calves dying,” Byington said.

If you think you have hybrid fire ants on your property call your local extension agent. They’ll take a sample and help you with the next steps to take.

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