October is ‘Stop the Ant Month’ in Hawaiʻi

With October declared as “Stop the Ant Month” in Hawaiʻi, a multi-agency effort has been launched to collect and control the pesky critters.

Residents are being encouraged to collect ants on their properties and submit them to invasive species agencies. The collection of ants will help them detect and control the spread of invasive little fire ants and other harmful pest ants that may be new to the state. 

The campaign is supported by the Hawaiʻi Invasive Species Council and administered by the Department of Land and Natural Resources in cooperation with Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture and University of Hawaiʻi programs, including the Hawaiʻi Ant Lab, Coordinating Group on Alien Pest Species, and the Invasive Species Committees on each island.

DLNR Chair Dawn Chang, who also co-chairs the interagency Invasive Species Council, said: “Detecting and controlling invasive ants is one the most important things we can do for our natural areas, our outdoor lifestyle, and our local economy. This campaign by HISC and our partners helps us understand where these ants are, and we mahalo our residents for taking the time to collect and submit samples from their yards and businesses.”

Little fire ants are considered among the world’s worst invasive species because they can form super colonies consisting of millions of stinging ants. Ant stings are painful and can cause itchy red welts that last for weeks. Stings to pets’ eyes cause injuries that may result in blindness.

Unlike the tropical fire ant, a ground-nesting ant that has been present since the 1800s and commonly encountered at beach parks and dry, sunny areas, little fire ants are orange and tiny, measuring 1/16 of an inch long. Stings tend to occur when the ants fall from trees or vegetation onto people, or when infestations become so large that the ants move into yards, homes and businesses.

Recent detections of new infestations on Kaua‘i, O‘ahu and Maui highlight the importance of resident reports in early detection of these ants. Infestations that are found early enough can be eradicated, and tools are available to suppress little fire ants even when local eradication is no longer possible. Controlling infestations prevents millions of dollars in impacts and perpetual costs for entire communities.

The Stop the Ant campaign also aims to find other, new invasive ant species that could impact Hawaiʻi, like the red imported fire ant. These ants are responsible for billions of dollars in agricultural and infrastructure losses and medical costs. Detecting and responding to new harmful ant species to minimize widespread long-term costs is a priority for the state. The risk is high because ants hitchhike on goods, such as in the high volume of goods from around the world that are imported to Hawai‘i.

Anyone can request a free ant-collection kit by visiting  www.StopTheAnt.org, or can make their own using household supplies. A one-minute video, “How to Collect a Sample,” is available at the website and shows the step-by-step procedure for collecting ants from your property, freezing, then submitting them for identification. Samples can be mailed or dropped off for identification at these locations in Maui County:

• Maui Invasive Species Committee (also accepting samples from Lānaʻi), 808-573-6472, PO Box 983, Makawao 96768
• Moloka‘i Invasive Species Committee, 808-553-4236, PO Box 220, Kualapuʻu 96757