Hawaii already suffers from more invasive species than any other state in the nation and remains constantly vulnerable to them due to its heavy reliance on imports. Over 80 percent of our goods and almost 90 percent of our food comes from the outside and provides avenues for their entry. Once invasive species reach the islands their impacts are often swift and severe due to our unique, fragile ecosystem.
Hawaii already suffers from more invasive species than any other state in the nation and remains constantly vulnerable to them due to its heavy reliance on imports. Over 80 percent of our goods and almost 90 percent of our food comes from the outside and provides avenues for their entry. Once invasive species reach the islands their impacts are often swift and severe due to our unique, fragile ecosystem.
Gov. David Ige recently summed up our vulnerability and the importance of immediate action in a single sentence: “Invasive species pose the single greatest threat to Hawaii’s economy and natural environment, and the health and lifestyle of Hawaii’s people.”
Despite these imminent dangers, only 4 percent of the state budget is dedicated to addressing this paramount threat. Similarly, only a very small portion of the public is currently aware of these imminent dangers.
If the introduction of invasive species is left unchecked the consequences will be devastating, particularly in the case of the little fire ant. Entomologists who have studied this one species have concluded that as little fire ant “spreads through the islands of Hawaii, the economic and ecological impacts are likely to be catastrophic.”
An excellent seven-minute YouTube video title “Invasion: Little Fire Ants in Hawaii” is circulating among community members. It explains what’s at stake for our county and state and can be accessed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJ8TQ_ASsYQ
Little Fire Ant HUI was established in November 2016 as a grassroots effort to address the exploding little fire ant crisis in Hawaii. It is the first citizen-based organization to bring a broad coalition of state and county elected and appointed officials, government agencies, private and public interests, and community together to create policies and programs for greater public awareness and education, better surveying and mapping, and improved control and eradication of little fire ant in the County of Hawaii.
Little Fire Ant HUI’s first initiative is to educate the public and increase “all hands on deck” participation for greater little fire ant control through a series of workshops on the Big Island beginning June 2017. By training landscape, yard care and pest control operators in partnership with Hawaii Ant Lab and Big Island Invasive Species Committee we will be able to bring this needed service to homeowners.
HAL recently conducted a workshop at Four Seasons Resort Hualalai for employees from area resorts and Big Island Invasive Species Committee just trained up the first classroom of yard care personnel at University of Hawaii, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources extension office.
Homeowners who would like assistance with little fire ant control on their property should not only encourage their yard care personnel and pest control operator to seek little fire ant training but also seek the services of those who have that training.
The little fire ant will be with us forever on this island so we must all learn how to manage them. We need as many people as possible to understand the threat and learn how to survey for and control and treat little fire ant. We’re all in this together.
Watch for more workshops to come. Together we will make a difference.
Carolyn Dillon is the founder of Little Fire Ant HUI.