Project Grant 20213361035759

THE FOLLOWING IS A NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY OF THE PROJECT:THE RED IMPORTED FIRE ANT (RIFA) IS AN INVASIVE PEST INTRODUCED IN THE UNITED STATES FROM ARGENTINA IN THE 1930S). CURRENTLY, IMPORTED FIRE ANTS INFEST OVER 140 MILLION HECTARESIN 14 STATES. LIKE MANY EXOTIC PEST SPECIES, INVASIVE FIRE ANTS WERE INTRODUCED WITHOUT MOST OF THE NATURAL ENEMIES THAT OCCUR IN THEIR NATIVE SOUTH AMERICAN RANGE. AS A CONSEQUENCE, FIRE ANT POPULATION DENSITIES IN THE USA ARE 5-10 TIMES HIGHER THAN THOSE IN SOUTH AMERICA. FIRE ANTS ARE PARTICULARLY PESTIFEROUS BECAUSE THEY: 1) PREFER DISTURBED HABITATS (HUMAN ACTIVITIES), 2) HAVE LARGE POPULATION DENSITIES (18-35 KG/HA) AND A HUGE NEED FOR RESOURCES, 3) ARE AGGRESSIVE AND HAVE A POTENT STING - THE VENOM CAN CAUSE HYPERSENSITIVITY IN HUMANS, AND 4) HAVE A LARGE REPRODUCTIVE POTENTIAL (300,000 NEW POTENTIAL QUEENS/HA/YR).DAMAGES RELATED TO FIRE ANTS INCLUDE HOUSEHOLD, CROP AND LIVESTOCK LOSSES, HIGHER EQUIPMENT REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT COSTS, DAMAGES TO THE LAWN, YARD, FARMSTEAD, MEDICAL AND VETERINARY EXPENDITURES, AND COST OF MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT TO CONTROL THEM. IN ADDITION TO THE MOST NOTICEABLE PROBLEM THEY CAUSE, I.E., STINGING OF HUMANS AND ANIMALS, RIFA IS ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR DAMAGES TO SOYBEANS, CITRUS, POTATOES, CORN, OKRA, AND EGGPLANTS. ADDITIONALLY, SOME AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES IN INFESTED AREAS, E.G., NURSERY AND SOD, MUST BE QUARANTINED BECAUSE REGULATIONS MANDATE TREATMENT OF MATERIALS TO BE SHIPPED TO NON-INFESTED AREAS.THE ESTIMATED ANNUAL 3+ BILLION DOLLARS SPENT ON FIRE ANT CONTROL IS INDICATIVE OF THE IMPACT THIS ANT HAS EXERTED ON HUMAN ACTIVITIES.CURRENT PESTICIDES USED TO CONTROL RIFA HAVE ACTIVE INGREDIENTSWITH VARIED MODES OF ACTION; HOWEVER, NONE OF THEM IS SELECTIVE TO FIRE ANTS, THEREFORE THEY ALSO KILL ORGANISMS THAT ARE BENEFICIAL TO AGRICULTURE, E.G., PREDATORY AND POLLINATING INSECTS. FOR EXAMPLE, HYDRAMETHYLNON, FENOXYCARB, AND PYRIPROXYFEN, ARE TOXIC TO FISH, METHOPRENE IS TOXIC TO AMPHIBIANS, AND SPINOSAD AND FIPRONIL ARE TOXIC TO HONEYBEES. FURTHERMORE, LARGE-SCALE USE OF CHEMICAL INSECTICIDES IS GRADUALLY BEING MORE RESTRICTED DUE TO THEIR EFFECTS ON NON-TARGET ORGANISMS.BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF FIRE ANTS HAS BEEN PURSUED, WITH MOST SUCCESS WITH PHORID FLY (PSEUDOACTEON SPP.) PARASITES OF FIRE ANTS. FIVE SPECIES OF THESE FLIES, FROM SOUTH AMERICA, WERE SUCCESSFULLY RELEASED INTO USA FIRE ANT POPULATIONS OVER THE PAST 25 YEARS. THEY ARE SELF-SUSTAINING. WHILE THEY DO NOT CONTROL FIRE ANT COLONIES, THEY DO REDUCE POPULATION DENSITIES.THUS, THERE IS A NEED FOR NOVEL FIRE ANT ACTIVE INGREDIENTS AND FORMULATIONS THAT HAVE GREATER FIRE ANT SPECIFICITY, FEWER EFFECTS ON NON-TARGET SPECIES, AND THEREFORE, ARE SAFER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT/ECOSYSTEM. A GENE-TARGETED INSECTICIDEDEVELOPED BY NANOSUR'S IN THIS PROJECTPRESENTSUNIQUE ADVANTAGES FOR RIFA MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL BY SELECTIVELY TARGETING ONLY RIFA WITHOUT BROADER ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS AND CONSEQUENCES.NANOSUR'S TECHNOLOGY APPLIED TO RIFA CONTROL IS ONE OF SEVERAL APPLICATIONS AIMING AT FIRST COMPLEMENTING, AND EVENTUALLY REPLACING, MOST CHEMICAL PESTICIDES. WE BELIEVE THAT NANOSUR HAS THE BEST - IF NOT THE ONLY - VIABLE SOLUTION TO THE WORLDWIDE THREAT POSED BY CHEMICAL PESTICIDES TO THE HEALTH OF CONSUMERS AND THE ECOSYSTEM.