1978/08/01 by W. L. Sterling · 7 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior #Insect-Plant Interactions and Control #Insect and Pesticide Research #Anthonomus #Red imported fire ant #Biology #Boll weevil #Predator #Weevil #Fire ant #Abundance (ecology) #Predation #Larva #Curculionidae #Hymenoptera #Ecology #Botany #Agronomy
paper · doi:10.1093/ee/7.4.564
openalex publication_date 1978/08/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
The efficacy of the red imported fire ant ( Solenopsis invicta Buren) as a predator of larval stages of the boll weevil ( Anthonomus grandis Boheman) was evaluated in 2 areas of Texas. In the Trinity River area the ants consumed up to 85% of the weevils with a weekly avg of 66%. Ants never consumed more than 37% of the weevils in the Brazos-Navasota River area and averaged 22% in Aug. The fire ant exhibits characteristics that may make it a valuable predator of cotton insect pests. It tends to disperse fairly uniformly across cotton fields at high densities and tends to increase in abundance as the growing season progresses.