Distribution of red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta Buren, across West Texas was surveyed during the fall of eight consecutive years, 2013-2020. Forty-six counties were surveyed from the Panhandle in the north to the Mexican border. During the 2019 and 2020 surveys, S. invicta was collected in 17 and 16 counties, respectively, beyond the quarantine line. This was more positive collections than during any previous survey year. In 2019, the survey included 10 counties where S. invicta had never been recorded (Andrews, Borden, Briscoe, Childress, Collingsworth, Hansford, Loving, Pecos, Reeves, and Zapata), and an additional two counties (Hutchinson and Lipscomb) were added in 2020. The accumulated data provided evidence that S. invicta continues to expand westward.
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29 September 2021
Continued Western Expansion of Red Imported Fire Ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, in Texas
Kylee N. Kleiner,
Jerry L. Cook
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Southwestern Entomologist
Vol. 46 • No. 3
September 2021
Vol. 46 • No. 3
September 2021