October is “Stop the Ant Month” in Hawaii and a multiagency 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, or LFA, and other harmful pest ants that may be new to the state.
The campaign is supported by the Hawaii Invasive Species Council and administered by the DLNR in cooperation with state Department of Agriculture and University of Hawaii programs, including the Hawaii Ant Lab, Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species, and the Invasive Species Committees on each island.
“Detecting and controlling invasive ants is one the most important things we can do for our natural areas, our outdoor lifestyle, and our local economy,” DLNR Chair Dawn Chang said in a press release. “This campaign by HISC and our partners helps us understand where these ants are, and we mahalo our residents for taking the time to collect and submit samples from their yards and businesses.”
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 and are commonly encountered at beach parks and dry, sunny areas — LFA are tiny ants, measuring 1/16 of an inch long and orange in color. Stings tend to occur when the ants fall from trees or vegetation onto people, or when infestations become so large that the ants move into yards, homes and businesses.
Infestations that are found early enough can be eradicated, and tools are available to suppress LFA even when local eradication is no longer possible. Controlling infestations prevents millions of dollars in impacts and perpetual costs for entire communities, according to the DLNR.
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. Detecting and responding to new harmful ant species to minimize widespread long-term costs is a priority for the state. The risk is high because ants hitchhike on goods, such as in the high volume of goods from around the world that are imported to Hawaii.
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, freezing, then submitting them for identification. Samples can be mailed or dropped off for identification at any of these Big Island:
— Big Island Invasive Species Committee, (808) 933-3346, 23 East Kawili St., Hilo, HI 96720;
— Hawaii Ant Lab in Hilo, (808) 315-5656, c/o Hawaii Department of Agriculture, 16 E. Lanikaula St., Hilo, HI 96720;
— Hawaii Ant Lab in Kona, (808) 209-9014, c/o CTAHR Extension Office, 79-7381 Old Mamalahoa Hwy, Kealakekua, HI 96750.
