Plano Proclaims Fire Ant Awareness Day with Bayer

PLANO, Texas – In recognition of the ever-impending threat that fire ants pose upon residents, Plano, Texas Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Scott Johnson proclaimed July 7, 2005 “Fire Ant Awareness Day.” “I’m delighted to officially recognize this problem that is literally biting away at the city of Plano,” Johnson said.

“Because fire ants are so common in the south, many residents do not take the precautionary measures that they should in order to protect themselves, their families, and their pets,” says Foster McWhorter of Bayer Environmental Science. “Fire ants are not only a nuisance, but can also cause life-threatening injuries for residents and guests.”

Fire Ant Awareness Day is part of an educational campaign aimed at providing consumers with the knowledge they need to protect their families and pets. Leading entomologists, local lawn care and pest management professionals joined Deputy Mayor Johnson in promoting this cause, and helped provide guests with valuable fire ant facts and information following the proclamation. By raising awareness, the public health threat caused by fire ants may be diminished.

In May of 2004, the Plano YMCA received a 20-acre donation of a new fire ant treatment called TopChoice,ä complements of Bayer Environmental Science and GroGreen, a local lawn care company. TopChoice, approved by the State of Texas’ Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, is a professionally applied granular insecticide spread on grass and plant beds like fertilizer, and provides control of fire ants for a full year with a single application. 

GroGreen joined Bayer Environmental Science on Fire Ant Awareness Day in celebration of the unprecedented one-year fire-ant-free status of the YMCA and will donate another treatment for another fire ant free year.

“The YMCA has been fire-ant-free for one year, which proves that the damage and injury caused by fire ants can be avoided,” says Gary LaScalea, GroGreen. “To protect children and the elderly, grounds managers and homeowners should consider a professionally-applied preventative insecticide like TopChoice.”

The Plano YMCA, located at 5101 Tennyson Parkway, hosts more than 400 kids, ages four to teenage, each day. Many of the YMCA’s activities take place outside on the 20+ acres of sports and outdoor fields, including soccer, baseball, picnics and day camp activities.

“Providing kids with a safe environment is our No. 1 priority,” says Tim Stitzer, vice president of operations, Plano YMCA. “Though bug bites and stings are a part of every Texas summer, we’re happy to have a fun, educational way to inform all of our guests of the threats fire ants pose – and we’re thrilled that Deputy Mayor Johnson is here to help us kick it off.”

Recent studies indicate that fire ants, which currently infest more than 325 million acres across the southern United States, sting more than 20 million adults and children each year. This number will continue to grow as fire ants move northward and westward.

In addition to choking ecosystems, burdening community economies, and threatening outdoor recreational activities fire ants are deadly, killing six to 12 people a year. Studies also show that 10 to 15 percent of those stung by fire ants experience severe localized allergic reactions, with one to two percent experiencing dangerous systemic reactions that, in rare cases, result in death. Symptoms of fire ants stings that may require immediate medical attention include shortness of breath, thickening of the tongue, nausea, sweating, dizziness or chest pain.

TopChoice is a product of Bayer Environmental Science, a leading manufacturer of pest control technology. TopChoice is a registered trademark of Bayer AG.

GroGreen. serves thousands of residences and commercial properties in the Dallas area. GroGreen was voted “The best in Texas” by Landscape Management magazine, and won the Reader’s Choice Award from the Plano Star Courier for best lawn service in Plano and Collin counties.