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Little fire ant control is a big job
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service is taking the little fire ant infestation in Guam seriously and has recently awarded a $50,000 grant to Dr. Ross Miller of the University of Guam Entomology Lab. He is teaming up with the Department of Agriculture to implement control procedures for Wasmannia auropunctata, the scientific name for little fire ant, or LFA.
The little fire ant is listed by the Global Invasive Species Database as one of the top 100 worst invasive species worldwide and is considered the greatest invasive ant threat to the Pacific region. (GRACEN BRILMYER/WWW.ANTWEB.ORG)
“The Department of Agriculture has already begun LFA control efforts and this grant will allow our lab to offer technical expertise and assistance in pre and post treatment surveys as well as the actual control of the ants,” said Miller.
Miller’s team is conducting a detailed sampling for LFA in two areas that DOA has already been treating with pesticides including Tango, an insect growth regulator.
“We expect the impact of the pesticides to be rapid, but we need to sample the areas multiple times for two years without finding LFA to say they are truly gone. We expect to demonstrate that these ants can be controlled, which is why ongoing funding is crucial,” said Miller.
If residents have not yet been affected by LFA, they may soon be without these control efforts. Little fire ants have established colonies in many areas throughout the island. It is important that people do not transport soil, plants, or plant parts that may be infested with LFA.
The little fire ant is listed by the Global Invasive Species Database as one of the top 100 worst invasive species worldwide and is considered the greatest invasive ant threat to the Pacific region. They deliver a very painful sting causing an extremely itchy rash. Guam has already had one incident of a child needing medical treatment after being stung by LFA.
Guam Department of Agriculture and University of Guam personnel continue their collaborative efforts to protect the island’s natural environment from the devastating effects of invasive species. It takes everyone on the island to do his or her part in controlling an invasive insect like the little fire ant.
For more information on LFA, please visit www.littlefireants.com. To report sightings of LFA or any other invasive species, call 475-PEST (7378). (UOG)
