Viruses to control the Electric ant Wasmannia auropunctata

Viruses found in the native range of the red Electric ant have the potential to control the pest

Wasmannia auropunctata Eli Sarnat, PIAkey: Invasive Ants of the Pacific Islands, USDA APHIS PPQ, Bugwood.org

Adam R. Rivers, PhD

Computational biologist and microbial ecologist using microbiome data and machine learning to create safe, productive, and sustainable agricultural systems.

Collaborators

Steven Valles - USDA-ARS, CMAVE, Gainesville, FL

Project

The Electric ant Wasmannia auropunctata is an invasive species in the United States. We are using metagenomics to sequence viruses that may be used to control this invasive species.