Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Fire Ant Abatement Program Planned For City Of Prescott

Fire ants have been stinging people and their pets in Prescott for years, but now officials are proposing to fight back.

The officials are considering a fire ant abatement program similar to a successful program in Texarkana, says Kristie Klein, a fire ant expert for the Cooperative Extension Service, University of Arkansas.

Under the Prescott program, city workers would apply a bait insecticide in yards three time a year, and a contact insecticide on an as-needed basis, beginning this spring and assess participants for the costs, which are nominal. A similar program in Texarkana has been nearly 100 percent effective in controlling the ants in treated areas, according to Klein.

Surveys of Texarkana residents participating in the program showed the vast majority felt they had gotten their money's worth Klein said. She said participation in the program has increased dramatically since it began in 1993.

Prescott Mayor Howard Taylor and Tim Clarke, Nevada County Extension staff chairman, said the ants are more than just a nuisance.

Fire ants sting people and animals and get into electrical systems, such as air conditioning units, and cause them to burn out. They also make mounds that are unsightly and damage mowing equipment. People complain about them all the time.

Klein said fire ants in South Arkansas were not as noticeable this year because of the hot, dry weather, but she expects them to return in large numbers during the warm, wet days of spring.

Klein said it would cost about $1.50 to treat 1,000 square feet for a year. That is cheaper than what the average person would spend trying to control fire ants in their yard, she added.

It's definitely worth the money, Taylor said. The city can buy the bait insecticide in volume and get it cheaper. He said the more people who participate and the greater the area treated, the more effective the program will be. If you treat a limited area, ants will move back in from adjacent areas, he added.

Clarke said the program currently is in the talking stage. He urged residents, if they are interested, to contact the Cooperative Extension Service office. The City of Prescott and the Cooperative Extension Service will hold a meeting about controlling fire ants and how this abatement program will work for city residents who are interested in the program.

This informative meeting will be held February 15, 1996, 6:00-7:00 p.m., at the courthouse.

This meeting is open to all persons regardless of race, color, national origin, age, sex, or disability. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (large print, audio tapes, etc.) should notify the county Extension office (or other appropriate office) as soon as possible prior to the activity.

If the city government decides to pursue the program we will need a fairly high number of people on each block to include a block in the program. The deadline for applying to keep your yard fire ant free is March 15, 1996.