TDA Expands the Red Imported Fire Ant Quarantined Area
Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples announces that the department has added 28 counties to the Red Imported Fire Ant Quarantine on an emergency basis. The department conducts annual detection surveys in the counties bordering the red imported fire ant quarantined counties to monitor the sporadic encroachment of fire ant infestations. The detection surveys conducted in 2008 and in prior years indicated that Archer, Baylor, Callahan, Clay, Coke, Coleman, Concho, Crane, Crockett, Fisher, Haskell, Howard, Irion, Martin, Mitchell, Nolan, Reagan, Runnels, Schleicher, Scurry, Shackelford, Starr, Terrell, Upton Throckmorton, Ward, Wilbarger, and Winkler counties have a widespread fire ant infestation beyond containment. In addition only the infested area of the city of Lubbock is proposed for quarantine. The emergency action will slow the artificial spread of fire ants through movement of hay and nursery-floral commodities to fire ant-free areas. The nursery-floral articles from these counties will be allowed to move to the fire ant-free areas only after USDA approved quarantine treatments. Hay may only be shipped to fire ant-free areas if it is stored in a manner that prohibits direct contact with the ground. The department published a proposed rule on March 20, 2009, to make the emergency rule change permanent. The comment period ended on April 19, 2009. Since no comments were received, the rule was adopted without change and is now permanent. Any questions on this quarantine should be directed to the department's regional offices, or to (800) TELL TDA.
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