HONOLULU (KHON2) — Little fire ants have been found at a Waimanalo property by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture and officials are urging residents to test for the invasive pest in their homes and businesses.
The Hawaii Agriculture Department said the little fire ants were found in areas along the perimeter of the Waimanalo nursery on Friday, May 10. None were found in plants in the production area and officials treated the perimeter with a pesticide.
A follow up survey on Monday, May 20 showed the perimeter was mostly clear, except for a couple of spots, and experts said farmers have shelled out a lot of money during similar situations.
“Thousands of dollars to combat them, so not just spending additional money that maybe could go into the ag production, but to try to mitigate little fire ants,” said Hawaii Farm Bureau executive director Brian Miyamoto.
The Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species (CGAPS) said sprays that kill the worker ants are not optimal, but success has been found with an insect grown regulator that acts as a birth control for the queen little fire ant.
“The queen gets this dose of birth control and eventually there’s no more workers to go out, get the food and come back and feed the queen,” CGAPS program manager Christy Martin said. “You’re not going to get the source of the problem with the spray, you’re killing off only the workers.”
The regulator method takes time, but it did work on a 175-acre infestation in a forest in Nahiku.
“It took a little more than eight treatments over the course of the year, however, we’re on year one now of ant-free 175 acres,” Martin said. “It works, but it doesn’t work quickly and so for people looking for quick results, immediate relief is not the best solution.”
Agriculture Department officials said they will follow up with landowners of properties that surround the Waimanalo nursery to do comprehensive surveys of how far the pest spread.
“We’re happy to see the Department being active and their efforts working with the nursery, and we encourage them to continue to do so with our nurseries, with our residents, wherever they identify little fire ants,” Miyamoto said.
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Little fire ants are about 1/16th of an inch in length and have a uniform, pale orange color. Ant collection kits are available for free online.