#Little Fire Ant

Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Awareness Month returns this May for its ninth year, bringing together residents, farmers, government agencies and community organizations to tackle one of the state’s most persistent environmental and economic threats.

The Kula Community Association invites community members to attend its General Meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, featuring timely updates on invasive species, water quality, watershed restoration, and East Maui water management. The meeting is open to the public and will be held in the evening, beginning with food and informal conversation.

On Maui, 75% of LFA detections come from community reports, proving that the watchfulness of residents is paying off. As LFA populations continue to grow across the state, the attentiveness of residents remains a critical component in preventing the establishment of little fire ants on Maui.

Since becoming director in 2015, Opgenorth and his team have built a new visitor and education center that welcomes over 7,000 guests, education groups, and volunteers each year. He’s expanded efforts to restore the coastal hala forest and protect it from invasive species.

Nearly a year after Gov. Josh Green signed into law a measure intended to help Hawaiʻi counties tame unruly flocks of feral chickens, the initiative remains unfunded and unimplemented, leaving counties without state assistance and the birds free to roam island streets and neighborhoods. Unfunded mandate Enacted on July 3, 2024, Act 185 (formerly Senate […]

The Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture has opened three requests for proposals to assist in the control and management of invasive pests, including the coconut rhinoceros beetle, little fire ants and two-lined spittle bug. Information on the requests is available on the State Procurement Office, Hawai‘i Awards and Notices Data System website, at hands.ehawaii.gov/hands/opportunities.

A field crew with the Maui Invasive Species Committee detected a small population of little fire ants (Wasmannia auropunctata) along Hāna Highway near the entrance of the Kīpahulu District of Haleakalā National Park on Aug. 26, 2024. This finding follows the late May detection of little fire ants or LFA at a county storage area on Waikaloa Road in Hāna. Officials say the ants likely spread via contaminated road fill to Kīpahulu within the last year. The infestation appears to be confined to approximately two-thirds of an acre, less than half a soccer field. 

Two people who have successfully helped the Maui Invasive Species Committee since its inception are Teya Penniman, acting manager, and Christy Martin, who started with MISC in 2000, but now helps with statewide issues including policy and funding. Maui Now’s Gary Kubota interviewed Martin and Penniman as part of this People of Maui series.

“The location of this LFA population is concerning because of its proximity to the Wailua River. LFA can “raft” along waterways allowing them to spread far greater distances,” said Curt Cottrell, Administrator of the DLNR Division of State Parks.

October is “Stop the Ant Month” in Hawaiʻi, and residents are encouraged to collect and submit ants to help detect and control the spread of invasive ants.

A multi-agency “Stop the Ant” campaign will be underway in Hawaiʻi in October to increase awareness about the importance of early detection to prevent and control the spread of the invasive little fire ant.

A new infestation of stinging and invasive little fire ants was confirmed on a property in Huelo, Maui in May. Despite the proximity of this site to another infestation in Huelo, experts from the Maui Invasive Species Committee say these sites do not appear to be related.

Based on their findings, the infestation is contained to four acres, but the source of the infestation is not known. Given the spread, it’s likely that ants have been present for several years. 

At approximately eight acres, the infestation encompasses several homes and some areas frequented by hikers and swimmers.

A tropical fire ant infestation at the Central Maui Regional Sports Complex was confirmed by county officials today. To clarify, county officials not that the tropical fire ants are different from the invasive Little Fire Ant, which have not been found in the complex.

There are currently seven sites being treated on Oʻahu, two on Maui and one on Kauaʻi for infestation of LFA.

The Waihe‘e infestation is the fourteenth detection of little fire ants on the Valley Isle since 2009 and the second detection on Maui this year

“It’s extremely urgent because we do know ants move downstream during flood events,” said Lissa Strohecker, MISC Public Relations and Education Specialist.

There’s been nearly a dozen incidents of little fire ants on Maui since the island’s first report in 2009. This latest infestation spans 3 acres in Happy Valley

The infestation is estimated to be between 3 to 4 acres in size, mostly in backyards and on a heavily vegetated hillside.