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show mentioned that Maui has the only dedicated quarantine center
Plants, fruit, and vegetables, etc are inspected by Hawaii State Ag as well as US Dept of Agriculture. They both have separate facilities as well as different procedures in the inspection process. USDA inspectors are the people you see at the airport checking bags when you fly to the mainland. Other inspections follow a byzantine system sometimes based on whether a product is moving inter-island, to the mainland, or internationally, sometimes based on other factors. For instance, ginger root for eating shipped to the mainland? USDA. The same exact ginger root shipped to the same exact location on the mainland, but for planting? State Ag.
By the way, I've never seen an inspector, USDA or State, inspect anything outdoors in the sun or in the rain. USDA used to inspect under the roof, outdoors, at Hilo Airport. At their new location you unload your truck and take everything indoors. I'm not saying it's never happened that an inspector worked outside... but... if it's happened, it doesn't happen very often. USDA could have prevented the coqui infestation from spreading but they clock out a 4 PM before the frogs start chirping at 120 dB. They were called multiple times, and given the exact location at the exact nursery which imported the frogs back in the '90's and did nothing. But I guess we taxpayers saved some overtime pay, right?
“There are worse crimes than burning books. One of them is not reading them.”
-Joseph Brodsky
"I'm at that stage in life where I stay out of discussions. Even if you say 1+1=5, you're right - have fun." - Keanu Reeves
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Well, you don't mind the other ants... except LFA. That's the problem... When all the "other" ants aren't around is when you know you have a problem! LFA is the top ant so it seems. When you find all of you local ants disappearing ... it's probably an LFA infestation.
As for keeping them out of Volcano? GOOD LUCK! Seriously. My car is loaded with them. I don't eat, but sometimes I forget and leave my coffee cup, not very often, when I return? Covered in Fireants! Why don't you spray? I DO! Why don't you bait? I have! I've cleaned the entire car even removing the console, and spraying all the floor boards. Still they come back. Dunno... so you are gonna tell me I can't drive my car to friends in volcano? I can't be the only one! Dunno, if my car is leaking and spreading fireants, but, I can't guarantee is isn't.
These ant's are here to stay. I had 6 acres in Orchidland 10 years ago. Called the county pest control, only to say, go treat em yourself. If only the friggen acted 10 years ago, they might have got a handle on them. At lest other islands are doing something about it, but unless travel and shipment of good between the islands are banned, they will continue to battle and maybe even give up since, I think they are beating a dead horse.
Too me, you let one island become infested and do nothing, then you spend millions trying to control it on the other islands. Frogs are one thing, these ants are another. esp, when they get in the trees.
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On the positive side, I have noticed that the parts of my property that are totally infested with fire ants, there are no coqui.
I have also noticed that I have built up a tolerance and the sting goes away quickly enough that it doesn't bother me enough that I need to spray my yard with poison.
If the feral cats that roam my yard go blind,Oh well !!
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Fire Ants in the SE are being displaced by the newest South American menace, the Crazy Ant. And people are wanting the fire ants back. I wonder how the LFA vs Crazy Ant battles will go.
"The English had the longbow. The Spanish had steel. Tawny crazy ants have their own formidable weapon—a protective acid sheath—that protects them against fire ant enemies. The revelation comes from a new study published this week."
http://www.scientificamerican.com/articl...razy-ants/
ETA: Sorry Bananahead... but the Crazy Ants are attracted to and destroy electronics and some people are already calling them electric ants. Electric Ant seems to be the nomenclature preferred for Wasmannia auropunctata in Australia but I don't think it's catching on elsewhere. Like the wiki article you posted says "The electric ant, also known as the little fire ant, Wasmannia auropunctata"
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terracore: the fire ants referred to in that article are the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta (species in Solenopsis are really the only ones that should be called fire ants). FWIW, we also have the yellow crazy ant here (Anoplolepis gracilipes), also known as the long-legged ant, which is completely different from the tawny crazy ant in that story.
ericlp: are you sure those are LFA? They generally aren't attracted to coffee or things with sugar in them; they come to protein, which is why the ant lab people use peanut butter as bait. The easiest way to tell them is that they move very slowly; we have other small yellow-brown ants here, but like most ants those other ones run quickly.
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terracore the aka note in wiki page is because of you guys STILL calling them by that wrong name 'LFA', and the media as well here in Hawaii, its too late now to correct this......they did it also previously in Florida.. where they used the 'little' to separate them from the normal 'fire ants'...
and electric ants like to invade electronics too dude, like many ants.. the name derives from the ant's painful sting relative to its size... not because it invades warm electronics...
aloha
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save our indigenous and endemic Hawaiian Plants... learn about them, grow them, and plant them on your property, ....instead of all that invasive non-native garbage I see in most yards... aloha
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save our indigenous and endemic Hawaiian Plants... learn about them, grow them, and plant them on your property, ....instead of all that invasive non-native garbage I see in most yards... aloha
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quote:
Originally posted by Midnight Rambler
ericlp: are you sure those are LFA? They generally aren't attracted to coffee or things with sugar in them; they come to protein, which is why the ant lab people use peanut butter as bait. The easiest way to tell them is that they move very slowly; we have other small yellow-brown ants here, but like most ants those other ones run quickly.
Well, the way a test for fireants...
1) the move really slow... because I've been around them for 5 years now I kinda know how they move...
2) The cling test... If you tap on the cup and they fall off... Another sign that they are probably fire ants, they don't have a very good grip.
3) Small and reddish color.
No, I am NOT 100% sure, as I didn't freeze them and waste my time sending them to the ant lab. Oh another sign, when they are the only ants around. I know I have a major ant problem on my property, but I don't care, I don't grow large trees, and ... I keep the lawn cut way back from the house. I just spray the post and cinder blocks. Don't want em in the house. It's pointless to keep spraying the yard...as the neighbors don't care and the dogs, cats etc passing through drop them off re-infecting my yard. So whatever. But anyway, I suspect that, pretty much the only water source in the car is me leaving drinks around, the ants will get what they can get. Including amdro ant liquid bait stations. But it doesn't do much good since the stuff is too powerful for LFA and it kills them before they can get it back to the nest. But it sure kills millions of them.
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You don't need to involve the ant lab to determine if you have LFA. If you have any doubt, just drop a few of the ants into your underwear before you put them on. You'll know almost immediately if they are LFA or not.
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An article in todays news about fire ants and how they are wreaking havoc in Kona.
http://westhawaiitoday.com/news/local-ne...nd-problem
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An article in todays news about fire ants and how they are wreaking havoc in Kona.
At first I thought "wow, most accurate headline I've ever seen in the HTH" ... until I read through to find that it's only a "problem" because it's in Kona.
"Discovered in 1999" ... yet the Ant Lab still has to beg for funding.
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