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October 2014. After an article was posted on the little fire ant eradition program in Guam, there were comments from members. The article appears here with an image of the ant: https://www.postguam.com/news/local/entomologists-little-fire-ant-treatment-working/article_4ac7976a-d93a-11e5-926b-9f2e1481c7a4.html, and there is also an article in Entomology Today: https://entomologytoday.org/2014/09/11/little-fire-ants-causing-big-problems-on-guam/
It is reported to cause blindness in dogs and other animals, and makes it very difficult for people, primarily women in New Caledonia, to garden during the day with their clothes on. Local villages see it as one of the most socially, economically and ecologically destructive invasive alien species, based on reports from Birdlife International Invasive Species Technical Advisory group.
The ant is now in New Caledonia and must be prevented from spreading to the outer islands. There are conservative cultures there and it will have an impact on agriculture if it affects the role of women in the production of food crops.
The ant spread into Bougainville (PNG) in the mid-1980s, and there are three large outbreak sites on mainland PNG discovered in the last 8 years following surveillance.or relatives of this pest, a member said that he had used Spinosad (derived from Spinosad A and Spinosad D, bacteria); this is a useful product because it has low environmental impact. (Editor: It is not clear from the email if this product has been used against the little fire ant).
It entered the Solomon Islands in mid-1980s, or at least it was recorded officially about that time. The only beneficial effect reported has been that coconut plantations affected by Amblypelta premature nut fall have come into bearing. However, climbing these trees can be very hazardous because of the presence of the fire ant.
For relatives of this pest, a member said that he had used Spinosad (derived from Spinosad A and Spinosad D, bacteria); this is a useful product because it has low environmental impact. (Editor: It is not clear from the email if this product has been used against the little fire ant). See also Ross Miller’s work at the University of Guam: https://cnas-re.uog.edu/lfa/
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