Eleven southern states in the US have joined forces to halt the spread of the
imported red fire ant across the country. Early next year, parasitic phorid
flies will be released at key locations from Florida to Tennessee, and North
Carolina to Texas. Phorid flies are a natural enemy in the ants’ native
Argentina. The US Department of Agriculture is helping to distribute the flies,
and experts hope the population of flies will be large enough to suppress the
ants.
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
Woman with Alzheimer's starts conversing again after taking psilocybin
2
Where, when and how to watch the 2026 solar eclipse
3
Our verdict on The Selfish Gene: An unpopular piece of popular science
4
If you aren't terrified by this heatwave, you should be
5
Read an extract from Slow Gods by Claire North
6
The race to understand how and when Thwaites glacier will collapse
7
Ancient human DNA found on cave art for the first time
8
The best sci-fi novel in 2026 so far 鈥 plus 6 other great reads
9
How some people's brains make an extraordinary recovery from stroke
10
Screwworm could be the first species targeted by an 'extinction drive'
