Last Friday we were pleasantly surprised to find the phorid fly, Pseudacteon curvatus, on four traps in Red River County! This phorid fly is a natural enemy of the fire ant and was released in this county in October 2007.
The female fly will lay approximately 30-35 eggs within the thorax of individual fire ant workers. The fly eggs hatch and complete their developmental cycle within the fire ant worker's head. It is a great visual! Since the release last year, this fly has overwintered and established itself in this far northern county of Texas.
This project is in conjunction with USDA-APHIS. For more information, please visit: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/video/vnr/phorid.htm
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