KY FY23 Imported Fire Ant Survey

Imported Fire Ant Survey Abstract We have found imported fire ants (IFA) in western Kentucky many times over the last decade. We found red imported fire ants in 2012 in Murray and New Concord (Calloway County), black imported fire ant in 2013 in Land Between the Lakes (LBL) National Recreation Area (Trigg County), fire ants that were either black or hybrid in Lake Barkley State Park (Trigg County) in 2014, black imported fire ants in LBL in 2015, and 79 red imported fire ant mounds in Kenlake State Park in 2017 (Marshall County). All of these infestations have been eradicated. In 2022, imported fire ants were found in a new region of the state: McCreary and Whitley Counties. This survey funding will help both with the pending regulation of IFA in McCreary and Whitley Counties and also to survey the counties at risk in western Kentucky. Most of our personnel are centrally located at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. We have one inspector in Louisville and another that lives in far northeastern Kentucky. The fire ant mounds in southern Kentucky are approximately 100 miles from Lexington while the most recently detected western Kentucky mounds are approximately 250 miles from Lexington, so the personnel time and travel expenses to deal with IFA are both considerable.