HONOLULU – October is Stop the Ant Month in Hawaii and a multi-agency effort throughout the month will encourage residents to collect and submit ants from their properties to help detect and control the spread of invasive little fire ants (LFA) and other harmful pest ants that may be new to the state.
The campaign is supported by the Hawaii Invasive Species Council (HISC), administered by the DLNR, in cooperation with the Hawaii Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity (HDAB), as well as University of Hawaii programs including the Hawaii Ant Lab, Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species and the Invasive Species Committees on each island.
DLNR Chair Dawn Chang, who also co-chairs the interagency HISC, said, “There are no native ants in Hawaii, and invasive ants like little fire ants can have major adverse impacts on ecosystems, agriculture and human and animal health. We need to aggressively detect and treat fire ant colonies; we rely on residents across Hawaii to be our partners in reporting fire ant populations.”
LFA is considered among the world’s worst invasive species because they can form supercolonies consisting of millions of stinging ants. LFA stings are painful and can cause itchy red welts that last for weeks. Stings to pets’ eyes cause injuries that may result in blindness. Unlike the tropical fire ant, a ground-nesting ant that has been present since the 1800s, LFA are tiny ants measuring 1/16 of an inch long, are orange in color and can fall from trees or vegetation to sting.
There are multiple LFA infestation sites on Kauai, Maui and Oahu. Multi-agency response teams on these islands organize surveys to find each infestation and, with permission from residents, conduct treatments to try to eliminate colonies. Infestations that are found early enough can be eradicated and tools are available to suppress LFA, even when local eradication is no longer possible. Although LFA are also widespread on Hawaii Island, there are no current detections on Lanai or Molokai. Controlling infestations prevents millions of dollars in impacts and perpetual costs for communities.
Anyone can request a free ant-collection kit by visiting www.StopTheAnt.org, or can make their own using household supplies. A one-minute video, “How to Collect a Sample,” is available at the website and shows the step-by-step procedure for collecting ants from your property, then submitting them for identification. Samples can be mailed or dropped off for identification at any of these locations:
Oahu Invasive Species Committee: 808-266-7994, 743 Ulukahiki Street, Kailua, HI 96734
Maui Invasive Species Committee (also accepting samples from Lanai), 808-573-6472, PO Box 983, Makawao, HI 96768
Kauai Invasive Species Committee, 808-821-1490, 7370K Kuamoo Road, Kapaa, HI 96746
Molokai Invasive Species Committee, 808-553-4236, P.O. Box 220, Kualapuu, HI 96757
Big Island Invasive Species Committee, 808-933-3346, 23 East Kawili Street, Hilo, HI 96720
Hawaii Ant Lab in Hilo, 808-315-5656, 875 Komohana Street #213, Hilo, HI 96720
Hawaii Ant Lab in Kona, 808-209-9014, c/o CTAHR Extension Office, 79-7381 Old Mamalahoa Hwy, Kealakekua, HI 96750
The Stop the Ant campaign also aims to find other, new invasive ant species that could impact Hawaii, like the Red Imported Fire Ant (RIFA). RIFA are responsible for billions of dollars in agricultural and infrastructure losses and medical costs globally. Detecting and responding to new harmful ant species to minimize widespread long-term costs is a priority for the state. With Hawaii’s reliance on imports from around the world and ants’ ability to hitchhike on shipped materials, the risk is high. The state, with help from community members, must remain vigilant to stop the spread.
Source: The Garden Island
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