On the Big Island there is a new invasive specie. It is the little fire ant and it packs a stinging bite. These little ants are driving workers away from their farms.
So, who are these little fire ants? Where are the from? Why are they so painful?
“The little fire ant, a native of South America, has been spreading since it was first discovered in Hawaiian Paradise Park in 1999, state agriculture officials said.
The tiny light-brown ant is no bigger in length than the edge of a penny, but it can pack a painful punch -- fire ant stings cause immediate dime-size red welts on the skin that last at least several days, followed by intense itching.”
About the Little Fire Ant:
Description:
The little fire ant is very small, about 1/16 of an inch long.
Pale orange and slow moving.
Sting:At first, the sting may feel like being poked by a needle. It later becomes very itchy.
Where do you find little fire ants here?
They are often found in potted plants, flowers and ornamental foliage or on the ground. Colonies are small, numerous and not under ground They can be in virtually any protected spot such as under a single leaf.
To date, there are about 40 infestation sites in East Hawai`i.
According to Patrick Conant, entomologist with the State of Hawai`i’s Department of Agriculture, it is believed that the little fire ants have spread in East Hawai`i primarily via potted plants.
"We need to concentrate on controlling little fire ants in nurseries and landscapers so the ant is not spread around inadvertently," Conant said.
Where do little fire ants nest?
According to the University of Florida’s Department of Entomology and Nematology, the little fire ant nests under leaf debris, rotten tree limbs, rocks, and in trees or clumps of grass. Nests are frequently found behind the sheaths of palms. The little fire ant is highly adaptable, nesting in both open and shaded areas, seeming to thrive equally well under moist or dry conditions.
During heavy rains nests may be moved into buildings or trees.
What kind of foods attract little fire ants?
Food in homes, such as butter, peanut butter, and other oily materials are preferred by the ant.
What can be done to control the little fire ant?
Nurseries and landscapers with little fire ants should treat their plants with insecticides before transporting them. Doing this would go along way toward solving the problem of spreading infestation, according to entomologist Patrick Conant.
Meanwhile the Hawai`i Department of Agriculture also requires inspection of potted plants moving off the Big Island.
The Department of Agriculture has used Amdro ant bait to eliminate a few of the smaller infestations of little fire ants (of less than a few acres) on the Big Island. Larger infestations are extremely difficult to eradicate.
Amdro ant bait is readily available at local gardening supply and hardware stores. Be sure to read the label before purchase so you know where it is legal to use and what the hazards of using it are.
Checking for presence of the little fire ant
Please report any possible fire ant infestations by submitting specimens to the Hawai`i Department of Agriculture.
Here’s a homemade method of taking ant specimens. Chopsticks smeared with a thin coat of peanut butter works best. Put the chopstick in shady spots, at the bases of trees and shrubs, and leave it out for about an hour. Put the ant-laden chopstick in a Ziploc bag, label it with your name and phone number, and put in the freezer overnight.
Call Kyle Onuma or Patrick Conant at the Hawai`i Department of Agriculture at 974-4140 to arrange for the specimen delivery.
The little fire ant is blamed for reducing species diversity, reducing overall abundance of flying and tree-dwelling insects, and eliminating arachnid populations. It is also known for its painful stings. On the Galapagos, it eats the hatchlings of tortoises and attacks the eyes and cloacae of the adult tortoises. It is considered to be perhaps the greatest ant species threat in the Pacific.
The taxonomy of the Little Fire Ant:
Kingdom: Animalia Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
Subkingdom: Bilateria (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians, triploblastic animals
Branch: Protostomia Grobben, 1908 - protostomes
Infrakingdom: Ecdysozoa Aguinaldo et al., 1997 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - ecdysozoans
Phylum: Arthropoda Latreille, 1829 - arthropods
Class: Insecta Linnaeus, 1758 - insects
Order: Hymenoptera Linnaeus, 1758 - ants, bees, wasps
Family: Formicidae
Genus: Wasmannia
Species: auropunctata Species Authority: (Roger, 1863)
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