An assessment of programming needs among county agents in red imported fire ant quarantined counties in Texas

Date

2002-12

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Texas Tech University

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to provide an accurate assessment of the Texas Cooperative Extension educational programming efforts as it relates to red imported fire ant control. One hundred twenty members of the Texas Cooperative Extension were surveyed using the bimodal survey model. This model uses a combination of e-mail and paper contacts to encourage respondents to answer an online or paper questionnaire. An overall response rate of 80% resulted from the use of the 25-day model.

Twenty-five of the respondents have attended more than 4 fire ant training sessions, while 30 have had no training. Thirty-seven percent ranked themselves of knowing a little more than a novice when asked about fire ant biology, 47.7% ranked themselves as somewhat an expert. The majority of the participants consider RIFA to be a major problem in the next 10 years.

When asked about the products currently available for red imported fire ant control, the majority of the participants thought that the products worked most of the time. Broadcast bait, the Texas Two-Step Method and mound treatments were considered somewhat effective by the participants.

The majority of the participants have conducted more than four fire ant programs with the help of the Internet, Texas A&M Website, extension publications, newsletters, "Spring Fling" media kit, the Fire Ant Awareness Week packets, fact sheets, fellow Aghcultural agents, Integrated Pest Management agents, and other state specialists.

This study also determined that fact sheets, news releases, Power Point® presentations, kits and information of organizations would be the most useful for future red imported fire ant programming.

Description

Keywords

Solenopsis invicta, County agricultural agents

Citation