Bermudagrass, Attempts At Fire Ant Suppression, Tifton, 1978

Abstract

There have been several reports of red imported fire ant suppression in pastures in south Georgia following fertilization with anhydrous ammonia (G. W. Burton personal communication, E. F. Suber personal communication). There-fore we tested this as a management tool for this controversial pasture insect. A predominently 'Coastal' bermudagrass hay pasture (ca. 4-8 in. high) growing in Tifton sandy loam soil with a considerable amount of bahiagrass and a moderate infestion of red imported fire ants was selected for the test. Treatments were applied with a Sutton System tractor-mounted anhydrous ammonia applicator by “kniving in” to a depth of ca. 8 in. at ca. 125 lb pressure and 5 mi/hr, or ap-plied with a galvanized metal bucket as 1 gal of solution that was poured over a 4 sq ft area with its center being the center of the mound. Ten mounds were used for each treatment. Mounds were checked before and after treatment for presence of an active colony by digging slightly into the mound. Mounds were flagged and a ca. 20 ft radius of the ground surface around each treated mound was inspected for presence of a new mound which indicated movement rather than effective mortality.