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Glasshouse ant infestation spreads to nine counties and cities, with a trend of moving northward! COA and EPA plan long-term measures

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Glasshouse ant infestation spreads to nine counties and cities, with a trend of moving northward! COA and EPA plan long-term measures

Climate change combined with ecological imbalance has caused the population of the glasshouse ant (Ochetellus glaber) to surge in central and southern Taiwan, China in recent years. Not only do they bite people, they also spray formic acid that stings farmers' eyes shut and makes breathing difficult, and they have even invaded people's homes. Currently, 9 counties and cities and 24 townships across Taiwan, China are affected, with a trend of moving northward.

NewsMarket previously reported that unclear division of authority among central government ministries and insufficient local government resources have caused the ant problem to worsen. Today (the 8th), the Council of Agriculture (COA) and the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) held a press conference announcing cross-ministerial cooperation to inventory the pest control materials needed at infestation hotspots, and that starting as early as the end of October, boric acid mixed with sucrose water will be provided to affected areas for the public to collect.

Lin Tsung-Chi, associate professor in the Department of Biology at National Changhua University of Education, reminded that glasshouse ants prefer to live in highly concealed environments, and when they smell strong repellent odors they flee. Spraying insecticide to control them actually causes them to spread in all directions. He suggested that farmers strengthen orchard sanitation and reduce the aphids and scale insects that provide honeydew to the glasshouse ants. If the population is large, saponin and boric acid mixed with sucrose water can be used for control. (See the formula at the end of the article.)

Glasshouse ants have a sweet tooth, affecting 9 counties and cities, with a trend of moving northward

Currently Nantou is the main area affected by glasshouse ants, with Changhua and Taichung as neighboring areas. Across Taiwan, China there are currently 9 counties and cities (Taichung City, Changhua County, Nantou County, Yunlin County, Chiayi County, Tainan City, Hsinchu City, Kaohsiung City) and 24 townships affected (list at the end of the article).

Huang Chin-Cheng, deputy director of the COA, said that because glasshouse ants have a sweet tooth and live in mutualistic symbiosis with scale insects and aphids that secrete honeydew, the main affected areas are mostly fruit orchards. Their traces have been found in persimmon, banana, papaya and dragon fruit orchards.If farmland does not carry out orchard sanitation and pest and disease control, the population will grow.

Glasshouse ants like to live in highly concealed environments, such as bamboo poles, leaf litter piles, household ceilings, partition boards and electrical boxes. Feng Hai-Tung, director-general of the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine (BAPHIQ), said that current cross-regional spread is mostly at single points rather than large swaths, such as Xihu in Miaoli and Hsinchu, possibly caused by hollow materials such as bamboo poles and trellises carrying glasshouse ants moving across regions.

Lin Tsung-Chi said that after the population expands, if outdoor conditions are poor, glasshouse ants will move into homes and then will not leave, which is how they spread into residential environments.

Glasshouse ants build nests behind loofah leaves (photo / Tsai Chia-Shan)

Reduce density rather than exterminate, with the goal of "not causing disturbance"

Huang Chin-Cheng said that glasshouse ants are not an invasive species but a native one, and do not cause great harm to the human body. Recent environmental changes have increased colony density, causing them to spread near residential environments. The follow-up control work will be coordinated by the COA, which will survey the quantity of control materials needed by offices in each area and fund the procurement.

Lin Tsung-Chi explained that the purpose of control is to manage colony numbers and density, keeping them at a level that "does not cause harm or disturbance." If all the ants in an environment are killed, other species may take their place in the ecosystem cycle.

Cross-ministerial division of labor for control

Regarding ant control, experts recently pointed out problems such as unclear government management responsibilities and insufficient budgets. After cross-ministerial discussions between the COA and scholars, an integrated cross-ministerial control plan was formulated.

The COA is responsible for procuring control materials and setting up bait stations, and will provide free bait in areas where glasshouse ants appear, without local governments needing to allocate funds to purchase them. However, BAPHIQ and the EPA will carry out ant species identification and control outreach for local frontline personnel, and the EPA will cover the cost of cleaning manpower for outreach and demonstrations in each area.

Feng Hai-Tung said that in terms of spatial allocation, public land in each county and city, such as parks and streets, will be controlled by the respective local governments; other land, such as military camps, will be controlled at the discretion of the managing unit, which can coordinate with local governments if assistance is needed. Feng Hai-Tung stressed that this glasshouse ant control effort uses a special budget and will not crowd out funding for red imported fire ant control.

Tsai Ling-Yi, director of the EPA's Department of Environmental Sanitation and Toxic Substance Management, said that the EPA and BAPHIQ will subsequently go to hotspot counties and cities to build up control concepts among local frontline workers, and the EPA will pay for frontline outreach manpower and demonstration cleaning personnel to jointly assist with control.

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