The Fire Ants

The Fire Ants PDF Author: Walter R. Tschinkel
Publisher: Belknap Press
ISBN: 0674072405
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 748

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Book Description
Walter Tschinkel's passion for fire ants has been stoked by over thirty years of exploring the rhythm and drama of Solenopsis invicta's biology. Since South American fire ants arrived in Mobile, Alabama, in the 1940s, they have spread to become one of the most reviled pests in the Sunbelt. In Fire Ants Tschinkel provides not just an encyclopedic overview of S. invicta--how they found colonies, construct and defend their nests, forage and distribute food, struggle among themselves for primacy, and even relocate entire colonies--but a lively account of how research is done, how science establishes facts, and the pleasures and problems of a scientific career. Between chapters detailed enough for experts but readily accessible to any educated reader, "interludes" provide vivid verbal images of the world of fire ants and the people who study them. Early chapters describe the several failed, and heavily politically influenced, eradication campaigns, and later ones the remarkable spread of S. invicta's "polygyne" form, in which nests harbor multiple queens and colonies reproduce by "budding." The reader learns much about ants, the practice of science, and humans' role in the fire ant's North American success.

The Fire Ants

The Fire Ants PDF Author: Walter R. Tschinkel
Publisher: Belknap Press
ISBN: 0674072405
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 748

Get Book Here

Book Description
Walter Tschinkel's passion for fire ants has been stoked by over thirty years of exploring the rhythm and drama of Solenopsis invicta's biology. Since South American fire ants arrived in Mobile, Alabama, in the 1940s, they have spread to become one of the most reviled pests in the Sunbelt. In Fire Ants Tschinkel provides not just an encyclopedic overview of S. invicta--how they found colonies, construct and defend their nests, forage and distribute food, struggle among themselves for primacy, and even relocate entire colonies--but a lively account of how research is done, how science establishes facts, and the pleasures and problems of a scientific career. Between chapters detailed enough for experts but readily accessible to any educated reader, "interludes" provide vivid verbal images of the world of fire ants and the people who study them. Early chapters describe the several failed, and heavily politically influenced, eradication campaigns, and later ones the remarkable spread of S. invicta's "polygyne" form, in which nests harbor multiple queens and colonies reproduce by "budding." The reader learns much about ants, the practice of science, and humans' role in the fire ant's North American success.

Fire Ants

Fire Ants PDF Author: Kari Schuetz
Publisher: Blastoff! Readers
ISBN: 9781626172227
Category : Fire ants
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
"Developed by literacy experts for students in kindergarten through grade three, this book introduces fire ants to young readers through leveled text and related photos"--

The Fire Ant Wars

The Fire Ant Wars PDF Author: Joshua Blu Buhs
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226079848
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 227

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Book Description
Sometime in the first half of the twentieth century, a coterie of fire ants came ashore from South American ships docked in Mobile, Alabama. Fanning out across the region, the fire ants invaded the South, damaging crops, harassing game animals, and hindering harvesting methods. Responding to a collective call from southerners to eliminate these invasive pests, the U.S. Department of Agriculture developed a campaign that not only failed to eradicate the fire ants but left a wake of dead wildlife, sickened cattle, and public protest. With political intrigue, environmental tragedy, and such figures as Rachel Carson and E. O. Wilson, The Fire Ant Wars is a grippingly perceptive tale of changing social attitudes and scientific practices. Tracing the political and scientific eradication campaigns, Joshua Buhs's bracing study uses the saga as a means to consider twentieth-century American concepts of nature and environmental stewardship. In telling the story, Buhs explores how human concepts of nature evolve and how these ideas affect the natural and social worlds. Spotlighting a particular issue to discuss larger questions of science, public perceptions, and public policy—from pre-environmental awareness to the activist years of the early environmental movement—The Fire Ant Wars will appeal to historians of science, environmentalists, and biologists alike.

Red Imported Fire Ants

Red Imported Fire Ants PDF Author: Meish Goldish
Publisher: They Don't Belong
ISBN: 9781627248310
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
At one time, there were no red imported fire ants in the United States. In the 1930s, the insects got into the country by accident. The ants soon spread rapidly all over the South. Today, the aggressive fire ants roam fields and lawns, looking for food and biting and stinging any animal or person who disturbs them. In Red Imported Fire Ants: Attacking Everything, students will learn all about these dangerous insects. The fascinating details describe how the fire ants attack and kill small animals for food, how they destroy millions of dollars worth of crops every year, and how they've even caused car accidents by destroying traffic lights! Large color photos, maps, and fact boxes enrich the dramatic details. Written in narrative format, this series is sure to keep young readers engaged.

Fire Ants

Fire Ants PDF Author: Stephen Welton Taber
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
ISBN: 9781603447119
Category : Fire ants
Languages : en
Pages : 340

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Book Description
In the early years of the twentieth century, South American fire ants crossed the Caribbean and invaded the shores of the southeastern United States. These imported fire ants quickly found a niche in Gulf Coast fields and lawns, overpowered the native species, and began spreading. In the process they became a notorious pest to some, a beneficial ally to others, and a potential killer to allergy sufferers. As a result, they are among the most intensely studied insects in the world. Near the turn of the millennium the dominant species, the red imported fire ant, finally made its long-feared leap across the hostile western desert into the greener oasis of southern California, where it stood poised to infest the richest agricultural region in the country.In this authoritative book, five economically important species take center stage. These are the red imported fire ant, the black imported fire ant, the tropical fire ant, the southern fire ant, and the golden fire ant. A general introduction and a history of their invasion of North America open the door to additional chapters on natural history, origin and evolution, animals that share the fire ants' nest, the mixed successes of chemical control, and natural enemies and the hopes for biocontrol. Also examined are the pros and cons of fire ants, their medical importance, and suggestions for future research. The appendices list all known fire ant species and explain how to prepare, preserve, and identify every known species occurring in the United States.Well written and enhanced by an extensive glossary, a thorough bibliography of scientific literature, and more than one hundred photos, maps, and drawings, Fire Ants engages and informs both nonprofessionals and specialists.

Fire Ants

Fire Ants PDF Author: Stephen Welton Taber
Publisher: Texas A&M University Agricultu
ISBN: 9780890969458
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Engages & informs both nonprofessionals & specialists as the first study on the five economically important species of fire ants.

The Fire Ants

The Fire Ants PDF Author: Walter R. Tschinkel
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 9780674022072
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 762

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Book Description
In The Fire Ants, Walter Tschinkel provides not just an encyclopedic overview of Solenopsis invicta but a lively account of how research is done, how science establishes facts, and the pleasures and problems of a scientific career. The reader learns much about ants, the practice of science, and humans' role in the fire ant's North American success.

Ant Architecture

Ant Architecture PDF Author: Walter R. Tschinkel
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691218498
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 244

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Book Description
An unprecedented look at the complex and beautiful world of underground ant architecture Walter Tschinkel has spent much of his career investigating the hidden subterranean realm of ant nests. This wonderfully illustrated book takes you inside an unseen world where thousands of ants build intricate homes in the soil beneath our feet. Tschinkel describes the ingenious methods he has devised to study ant nests, showing how he fills a nest with plaster, molten metal, or wax and painstakingly excavates the cast. He guides you through living ant nests chamber by chamber, revealing how nests are created and how colonies function. How does nest architecture vary across species? Do ants have "architectural plans"? How do nests affect our environment? As he delves into these and other questions, Tschinkel provides a one-of-a-kind natural history of the planet's most successful creatures and a compelling firsthand account of a life of scientific discovery. Offering a unique look at how simple methods can lead to pioneering science, Ant Architecture addresses the unsolved mysteries of underground ant nests while charting new directions for tomorrow’s research, and reflects on the role of beauty in nature and the joys of shoestring science.

Dr. Eleanor's Book of Common Ants

Dr. Eleanor's Book of Common Ants PDF Author: Eleanor Spicer Rice
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022644581X
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 145

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Book Description
In this witty, accessible, and beautifully illustrated guide, Eleanor Spicer Rice, Alex Wild, and Rob Dunn metamorphose creepy-crawly revulsion into myrmecological wonder. Dr. Eleanor?s Book of Common Ants provides an eye-opening entomological overview of the natural history of species most noted by project participants. Exploring species from the spreading red imported fire ant to the pavement ant, and featuring Wild?s stunning photography, this guide will be a tremendous resource for teachers, students, and scientists alike. But more than this, it will transform the way we perceive the environment around us by deepening our understanding of its littlest inhabitants, inspiring everyone to find their inner naturalist, get outside, and crawl across the dirt?magnifying glass in hand.

Fire Ants And Leaf-cutting Ants

Fire Ants And Leaf-cutting Ants PDF Author: Clifford S. Lofgren
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 0429691645
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 452

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Book Description
The 1985 Research Conference on Fire Ants and Leaf-Cutting Ants covered the most recent developments in research and control of these insect pests of the New World tropical and subtropical zones, the southern United States, South and Central America, and the Caribbean Islands. This volume contains chapters that discuss the history and economics, biology and ecology, behavior, pheromones and other semiochemicals, physiology, and biochemistry of fire ants and leaf-cutting ants, as well as current and future control strategies. The information provided illustrates past and present agricultural and medical problems associated with these pest ants; however, it also brings out the point that they may at times be beneficial. The chapters on basic aspects of the biology and ecology of the ants provide up-to-date information that is useful for a more complete understanding of their social behavior and the unique symbiotic relationship between leaf-cutting ants and their fungi. New approaches to control are illustrated by innovative research on anti-feedant chemicals from plants that prevent feeding by leaf-cutting ants. The present status of chemical baits and biocontrol is addressed, as well as the possibilities of future novel methods based on the use of anti-metabolites, insect hormones, behavior modifying substances, and species-specific toxic bait systems to create integrated pest management systems.