Hi Hadi,
Thanks for your response. We have been monitoring the outflow for 2 years and multiple factors can cause changes in the outflow including aging, plants cycles, clogging and ... so we can not be sure of the sole impact of fire ants in this cell. The filter media is sandy loam with mulch on top.
Thanks for your suggestion, steam injectors could work, we'll give it a try.
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Abtin Shahrokh Hamedani Ph.D., A.M.ASCE
San Antonio TX
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-06-2021 02:25 AM
From: Hadi Beigi
Subject: Fire ants in bioretention basin
Abtin,
Can't you meter the flow rate on the outfall to evaluate the impact? What type of filter media is used? Do you know the soil/filter ingredients? You can also try steam injectors which still uses hot water, but I guess hot water may kill the plants if used too many times.
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Hadi Beigi M.ASCE
Civil Senior Designer
Houston TX
Original Message:
Sent: 11-16-2021 10:22 PM
From: Abtin Shahrokh Hamedani
Subject: Fire ants in bioretention basin
Hi everyone,
I'd like to ask if anyone has experience with fire ants in bioretention cells and how to control it?
We are monitoring water quality and hydraulic performance of multiple bioretention cells and one of them is infested with fire ants. We've been applying hot water to their mounds, and they are slowly migrating but still persistent.
I'd appreciate any recommendations on effective methods for eliminating fire ants with the least impact (no chemicals), since we are monitoring the water quality of the outflow. Also what could be their impact on overall performance of the bioretention cell? Is the hydraulic conductivity of the cell significantly impacted by their tunnels leading to changes in the performance of the cell?
Thanks,
Abtin Shahrokh Hamedani
PhD Candidate, University of Texas at San Antonio
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Abtin Shahrokh Hamedani Ph.D., A.M.ASCE
San Antonio TX
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