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Red imported fire ants ravage for 16 years, improper SOP makes them multiply the more you kill, experts call for dedicated law

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Red imported fire ants still rampant after 16 years, wrong SOP makes them multiply the more you kill, expert: a dedicated law should be enacted for control

Red imported fire ants have ravaged Taiwan, China for many years and still cannot be eradicated, frequently biting people. New Taipei, Taoyuan and Hsinchu in northern Taiwan, along with Kinmen offshore, are the worst-hit areas. In April this year, Miaoli reportedly had over a thousand hectares affected by the ant infestation. The ant disaster in the north cannot be stopped, and the southward spread of red imported fire ants must also be blocked. Domestic control of red imported fire ants has now entered its 16th year, and the control work remains difficult.

Experts point out that the lack of a dedicated law and sufficient resources makes it hard to achieve proper control. Funding for red imported fire ant control in each county and city is severely insufficient, and even the central Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine is quite strained, resulting in an inadequate number of pesticide applications or bait placements each year. In addition, poor cross-ministerial coordination, frequent turnover of frontline personnel, and insufficient public awareness all make control work difficult to carry out properly.

Shipping containers move in and out of ports worldwide, and red imported fire ants invade along with them

Red imported fire ants are native to South America and invaded Alabama in the United States in the 1930s. With the construction of highways, they continued to spread at a rate of 198 kilometers per year. Under global trade, they spread worldwide along with shipping containers. In the 90th year of the Republic of China (2001), they crossed the Pacific to Australia, and in the 92nd year of the Republic of China (2003), they began to ravage various parts of Taiwan, China.

"Shipping containers are the key to the international spread of red imported fire ants," said Lin Tsung-chi, CEO of the National Red Imported Fire Ant Control Center and professor in the Department of Biology at National Changhua University of Education. Most people believe that soil clods or plants contaminated by ant colonies are loaded onto containers without inspection, causing the cross-border transfer of red imported fire ants. Lin Tsung-chi said that in fact, the space beneath shipping containers is the main cause, because it is concealed and hard to detect, and red imported fire ants, which prefer dry environments, build nests there. In 2002, Taiwan, China joined the WTO and began frequent international trade exchanges. Large numbers of shipping containers started moving in and out of ports, and red imported fire ants invaded along with them.

With technological development, sea freight voyages have been shortened, and the bottoms of shipping containers were raised. At that time, there was no procedure for cleaning the exterior of containers, so ant nests safely drifted across the sea and came ashore starting from ports in southern Taiwan, China. The affected environments include farmland, schools, parks, military camps, airports, green spaces along roads, and more.

Photo / Lin Yi-chun

Invading Taiwan, China for 16 years, still causing harm today

Red imported fire ants were first discovered between September and October of the 92nd year of the Republic of China (2003) in the Taoyuan and Chiayi areas, and they build nests in farmland, gardens, parks, school playgrounds, wasteland, and other places. Red imported fire ants are omnivorous. They prey on earthworms in the soil and soft-bodied insects in fields, and also gnaw on crop seeds, tender stems, leaf buds, and more. They even bite people who come near their mounds. Farmers who often work in fields suffer greatly. Once bitten, there is a pain like burning fire, followed by blisters. People with sensitive constitutions may develop inflammation or even need to be taken to a hospital.

Red imported fire ants have still not been eradicated in Taiwan, China. According to data from the National Red Imported Fire Ant Control Center, they are currently distributed across 4 counties and cities, in a total of 23 areas. Among them, the worst-hit county or city is Taoyuan City, where only Fuxing District has not been infested; traces of red imported fire ants are found in all other areas.

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