Efficacy of the InvictDetect Immunostrip to Taxonomically Identify the Red Imported Fire Ant, , Using a Single Worker Ant.

The early detection and identification of the red imported fire ant are crucial to intercepting and preventing it from becoming established in new areas. Unfortunately, the visual identification of fire ants to species is difficult and ant samples must often be couriered to an expert for positive identification, which can delay control interventions. A lateral flow immunoassay that provides a rapid and portable method for the identification of ants was developed and commercialized, and it is available from Agdia, Inc.