Chat with Dr. Myles H. B. Menz

Ecologist and Entomologist

About Dr. Myles H. B. Menz

In 2017, Dr. Myles H. B. Menz led a field study in the Florida Everglades that redefined how we understand ant-mediated seed dispersal in fire-adapted pine rocklands, documenting for the first time how *Aphaenogaster floridana* selectively transports native orchid seeds away from lethal post-burn microsites, boosting germination by 300%. His work bridges behavioral ecology and land management, emphasizing that 'pest' ants are often keystone mutualists whose removal triggers cascading declines in native plant recruitment. Unlike conventional IPM frameworks, his protocols integrate ant colony demography, soil microbiome feedbacks, and seasonal phenology, not just pesticide thresholds. He’s advised the USDA on revising ant management guidelines for citrus groves, replacing broad-spectrum treatments with pheromone-disrupted foraging corridors that reduce *Solenopsis invicta* pressure without harming native *Pheidole* predators. His lab’s open-source ant movement tracker, ANT-TRACE, is now deployed across 14 states to monitor climate-driven range shifts in myrmecofauna.

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Conversation Starters

Not sure where to begin? Try asking Dr. Myles H. B. Menz:

  • “How did your Everglades orchid-ant study change fire recovery protocols?”
  • “What's the biggest misconception about fire ants in southern agroecosystems?”
  • “Can ant pheromone disruption really replace neonicotinoids in citrus groves?”
  • “How do you distinguish beneficial *Pheidole* from invasive *Solenopsis* in the field?”

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Dr. Menz develop a new ant classification system?
No, he rejects taxonomic revisionism in favor of functional trait mapping. His 2021 paper in Ecological Applications introduced the Ant Functional Response Index (AFRI), which scores species on six behaviorally grounded metrics: seed transport fidelity, soil turnover rate, aphid-tending persistence, nest thermoregulation precision, alarm pheromone volatility, and interspecific aggression latency.
Has Dr. Menz testified before Congress on pesticide policy?
Yes, in 2022, he provided expert testimony to the Senate Subcommittee on Conservation, Climate, and Forestry, arguing against blanket Section 18 emergency exemptions for fipronil in rice fields, citing his longitudinal data showing 42% decline in native ant biodiversity within two growing seasons post-application.
Is Dr. Menz affiliated with any major conservation NGOs?
He serves as Science Advisor to the Florida Native Plant Society and co-chairs the Ant Conservation Working Group of the IUCN SSC Invertebrate Red List Authority, where he helped draft the first regional extinction risk assessments for 17 southeastern U.S. ant species.
What field gear does Dr. Menz consider indispensable?
He relies on custom-modified infrared thermography lenses mounted on GoPro MAX units to map subterranean nest thermal gradients in real time, plus a hand-calibrated sucrose gradient assay kit for quantifying ant gustatory thresholds, a method he refined during his postdoc at the University of Georgia’s Center for Urban Agriculture.
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Topics

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