Fire Down Below--Taiwan Fights Ant Invasion

Over the past two months, Taiwan, including urban and rural areas as well as farms and schools, has been bustling with activities aimed at exterminating fire ants. Environmental hygiene workers have cordoned off parks and schools to spread insect bait; teachers have been teaching students to recognize the bugs; and doctors of toxicology have been explaining how to treat fire ant bites on Taiwan's media. Taiwan seems to have entered the bug extermination equivalent of DEFCON 4.

The fact is that fire ants have been around on farms in Taiwan for quite some time. Their arrival in Asia from the Americas is a classic example of a foreign species taking advantage of openings made available by globalization and rampant smuggling to threaten indigenous species and even harm people.

Originally from South America, fire ants entered the southern United States in the early 20th century as a result of lax inspection and prevention. A dearth of natural enemies made it easy for this otherwise mundane insect to march in unchecked, bringing in its wake disaster and economic loss for farmers and the environment. The omnivorous fire ant not only attacks hapless earthworms it finds in the soil, it causes tremendous losses to crops, destroying seed, young shoots, tender stems, and root systems, all of which it feeds on.

Although unaffected places in the US and the rest of the world are going all out to prevent further advances by fire ants, convenience of transportation and globalization trends have opened the back door for them.

In light of the spreading fire ant problem, the COA officially established the National Fire Ant Eradication Center on November 1st. The center is the brainchild of Lin Tsung-chi, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Entomology of National Taiwan University (NTU). He believes that the government should follow the example of Australia and set up a fire ant extermination team. The team should first bring infested areas under control, reduce the size of affected areas, and destroy the ants, while taking measures to prevent stowaways in inbound air cargo containers, which is how fire ants entered the country in the first place. This multipronged approach is our only hope to realizing the goal of total fire ant eradication within three years. Taiwan should also create a National Invasive Species Research Center.

Environmental specialists have sounded the alarm, calling on everyone to stay vigilant. They warn us against lowering our guard because fire ants can be found down in home basements and up high in tall buildings, and are even known to build their nests on walls.

After learning of the danger that fire ants pose, some people are getting cheap thrills from squashing any ants unlucky enough to cross their paths. NTU Department of Entomology professor Wu Wen-jer points out that Taiwan has almost 300 species of ants, the vast majority of which are harmless. He believes that individuals who live far from infested areas (such as those in eastern and southern Taiwan) should learn more about fire ants, so as to dispel any groundless fears they might have; while those living near infested areas, like southern Taoyuan and Taipei County, should be on the alert and report anything suspicious.

More than 30,000 people in the state of South Carolina in the US were treated in hospitals for fire ant bites in 1998. Of these, 15% developed serious allergic reactions and 2% went into anaphylactic shock. Wu reminds us that fire ant venom is amazingly toxic. If, after being bitten by fire ants, you experience severe reactions, such as itching all over, a red, swollen face, an accelerated heart rate, difficulty in breathing, or chest pains, you should seek immediate medical attention. Be sure to tell the doctor that you suspect that you were bitten by fire ants.

To keep fire ants out of your house, keep an eye on nearby plants as soil is a potential haven for fire ants. Insect bait should be applied on sunny days around anthills, not on them, so that foraging worker ants will hopefully bring some back to the nest where it will kill queen ants living deep inside.

From America's experience, we know that the most important step in the battle against fire ants is to keep them from spreading. To win our own war against fire ants, central and local governments must join forces and bring together the efforts of insect specialists, frontline workers, farmers, and the general public.

Fire Ant Hotline: 0800-095-590

Fire ants are very destructive to microhabitats in the soil. Council of Agriculture representatives demonstrate how to eradicate fire ants on a farm in Taoyuan County.