Walter R. Tschinkel
The Belknap Press of Howard University Press
Cambridge MA
2006; 723 pp.  
ISBN:  0-674-02207-6
$95.00 (Hard Cover)

This book, covering Imported Fire Ants (IFA), consists of five broad chapters each broken into 5-8 subchapters. The subchapters range from two to nearly 30 pages, many of which are preceded by an introduction or followed by an “Interlude,” so they appear as additional chapters. These interludes sometimes provide insight to the next chapter. However, in most instances the “interlude” relates to either the author’s experiences or anecdotes regarding his students. The anecdotes shed light on the experiences of graduate students in a typical research laboratory. Other interludes relate to colleagues. Some of these are humorous and others are more serious. Overall, these are fun to read and illuminate how science sometimes operates for those who haven’t experienced research first-hand. The interludes are certainly directed to the general reader, but most science practitioners will relate to many of them.

The book begins with an overview of IFA biology, anatomy, and history of invasion. This first chapter presents why IFA are an important organism to entomologists and the public and primes the reader for more in-depth discussion covered later in the book. The second chapter focuses on many of the trials and tribulations faced during the life of an IFA colony. Specifically, shelter, space, food, mating and colony founding, various aspects of colony growth, and reproduction are discussed. This information is followed by a series of subchapters that introduce how IFA communicate and interact within the colony. The topic of polygyny has had crucial implications for the IFA as an invader and pest, and Tschinkel presents much of the current knowledge of this topic in the fourth chapter. The book is brought to a close with the fifth chapter, which focuses on how IFA interact with other organisms in their environment, including other fire ant species (one subchapter deals with hybridization between Solenopsis invicta and S. richteri), other ant species, invertebrates, and vertebrates. These chapters clearly illustrate how much research on IFA has contributed to our knowledge of basic ant biology and behavior, and how these amazing organisms influence the environment around them.

One concern I had over this book is that the audience is not always clear. Interludes are certainly directed toward a general reader. Tschinkel gives information using a general basic language, thus appearing to be directed to a layman’s audience, but then he switches to a much more technical approach that is directed to research personnel. He gives many details and includes technical tables, figures, and drawings to illustrate key points, some of which are redundant throughout the book.  This pattern of addressing a general audience, then a more technical audience, is repeated throughout, creating some confusion. He also sometimes refers to the work of various IFA researchers, giving only their first names without citing specific references or giving credit, even when he later describes the research. This sometimes unfocused nature of the book may create some frustration in the reader.

Although over 900 references are cited and discussed, there are a number of significant ones that are surprisingly not included. Examples are the book The Fire Ants by Tauber, S. W., 2000, and major reviews such as the ones by Drees, B. and R. Gold, 2003; Vinson, S. B. and L. Greenberg, 1986; and Williams et al., 2001. Also there are some aspects of the IFA’s biology that are not covered, particularly in the area of physiology. Thus, this book is not a complete review of what is known about the IFA. It is clear that the author concentrates primarily on the research that he and his various students and associates have contributed over the years.

There also appears to be an anti-Texas bias to The Fire Ants. One example of this problem is on page 83, where Tschinkel states that the early predictions published by nine different Texas researchers suggesting that the IFA would infest all of Texas were “spectacularly wrong.” This is an overstatement, since none of the articles Tschinkel referenced state that every inch of Texas would be infested. In fact, Vinson (1997), not referenced, suggested that the IFA could infest only the wet areas of dry west Texas along stream beds and irrigated land, and also suggested that the old temperature limits were not accurate so that the IFA might go further north. Tschinkel’s discussion omits this. He centers some discussion on the data of Korzukhin et al. (2001) that show IFA infestations throughout all but the northwest and southwest corner of Texas. While their data predict that IFA’s are not likely to occur in southwest Texas, the IFA has been present in El Paso for some years and in spots in Big Bend national park. This presence exists in spite of the fact that Texas has sustained a severe drought over the last 10 years. The map provided by Korzukhin et al. (2001) also shows a few possible spots of infestation likely in northernmost Texas. In fact, the IFA has survived in Lubbock for years. Were the predictions of over 20 years ago so spectacularly wrong? 

In spite of the criticisms, the book is a must for myrmecologists and anyone interested in IFA. It is clear that Tschinkel truly is fascinated with the IFA and has dedicated his life to this interesting and successful creature. In many chapters, Tschinkel dissects the issues, examines the data, and puts the biology of the IFA in perspective. He also evaluates a lot of the data with a fresh perspective and either suggests some new areas of focus or notes that much is yet to be uncovered. While reading the book, the discussion was stimulating enough that this reader devised many new ideas concerning the biology of the imported fire ant to probe. There is enough to keep a number of researchers occupied for some years to come. This outcome of the book alone is an important contribution to those interested in Imported Fire Ant research.

References

Drees, B. M. and R. E. Gold. 2003. Development of integrated pest management programs for the Red Imported Fire Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). J. Entomol. Science 38: 170-180.

Korzukhin, M. D., S. D. Porter, L. C. Thompson, and S. Wiley. 2001. Modeling temperature dependent range limits for the fire ant Solenopsis invicta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the United States. Environ. Entomol. 30: 645-655.

Tauber, S. W. 2000. The Fire Ants. Texas A&M University Press, College Station, Texas.

Vinson, S. B. 1997. Invasion of the red imported fire ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) spread, biology, and Impact. Amer. Entomol. 43: 23-39.

Vinson, S. B. and L. Greenberg. 1986. The biology, physiology and ecology of imported fire ants, pp. 193‑226.  In:  “Economic Impact and Control of Social Insects.”  (S. B. Vinson, ed).  Praeger Press, New York.

Williams, D. F., H. L. Collins, and D. H. Oi. 2001. The red imported fire ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): an historical perspective of treatment programs and the development of chemical baits for control. Amer. Entomol. 47: 146-159. 

Dr. S. Bradleigh Vinson
Department of Entomology
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX
bvinson@tamu.edu
American Entomologist
Vol. 53, No. 3, Fall 2007