To prevent fire ants native to South America from becoming established in Japan, the Environment Ministry will begin spraying a new chemical compound around the Aomi Pier in Tokyo Port as early as this month.
Although the settlement of the noxious invasive species has yet to be confirmed in Japan, more than 50 queen fire ants were found at the pier last autumn. Therefore, the ministry is set to strengthen measures to prevent their spread to wider areas before they become active in coming months. The government will also consider introducing trained dogs that can detect the ants by smell.
The new chemical compound is a granule roughly two millimeters in diameter, and contains a component called pyriproxyfen that prevents fire ant queens from laying eggs and larvae from growing. It also contains an oil that attracts worker ants, that will bring the granule back to their nests and kill the species. The drug is said to have been found effective in nations abroad, including the United States.
The dispersal of the chemical will start at the pier's container yard before May begins and will be conducted twice a month for four months. Fire ants are known to become active between May and November. Since the ants could spread to nearby areas, the ministry plans to have specialists conduct patrols on roads and parks in areas within a two-kilometer radius.
Fire ant-detection dogs have already been introduced in Taiwan, and they are expected to effectively detect small colonies of fire ants. The ministry will also continue its biannual patrol around container yard and other places at 65 ports and 31 airports across the country.
"Once established, fire ants are difficult to eradicate. Which is why we will fully commit to the efforts to prevent their establishment," an official at the ministry's Office for Alien Species Management said.
Once stung by the reddish-brown ant, roughly 2.5 millimeters long, a person will feel a burning pain. On rare occasions, a stung person could die. Fire ants were first found in Japan in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture, in 2017. To date, the ants have been found in 48 cases in the nation. They make a group of several thousands to hundreds of thousands around queen fire ants.
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