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star. or Flawaii New Pest Advisory DEPARTMEN ~ ~ T OF AGRICULTURE No. 98-02 Updated July 2005 5 ~ i ~ t it w ;i ' ' d ~ z x ~ ~ ~ ° ~ a~ Little Fire Ant r'-A ~"~i hP ~ ~~~y~"~~'~~~ ~ Wasmannia auropunctata 1 1 1x~ y 'w~»~f'' } E ~ ; ~ ~ ~~r:, (Roger) Fr ~ r ~ ~ : =i; ~ (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) ail. ~ ` ~t~ ,r ~~a N' ` ~ a` ~ ~ ~ Patrick Conant, Ronald A. Heu ~ ~ E a 'f' Larry Nakahara, Bernarr Kumashiro and 3 sti , , ~s;° ~ Neil Reimer Figure 1. Little fire ant worker Introduction. Specimens of a tiny ant (Figure 1) Creighton (1950) mentions that the severity of the were first collected by a resident of Hawaiian sting of LFA is out of proportion to its small size. Paradise Park, located in the Puna District of the Spencer (1941) adds that, for some people, "the Big Island, in March 1999 and submitted to the sting lasts for three days, aching painfully at first and Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA). They later itching intensely by spells." were identified as the little fire ant (LFA), i Wasmannia auropunctata (Roger), by HDOA Plant Quarantine Insect Specialist Dr. N. Reimer. According to Wheeler (1929), W. auropunctata is Neotropical in origin and is known throughout central and northern South America, the West ~ Indies, and the warmer portions of Mexico. o Nickerson (1983) reported that it is common in ~ g 'S south Florida, and Hayashi (1999) mentioned its ~ ~ - ~ ~ ° presence in West Africa, Galapagos Islands, New Caledonia, and the Solomon Islands. Figure 2. Little fire ant infestation on ground Although Nickerson stated that LFA occurs in California, inquiries to the California Department Distribution. In April 1999, three separate of Food and Agriculture revealed that there is no infestations of the little fire ant were found at record of it being established in the state. Hawaiian Paradise Park and another infestation was However, there have been numerous uncovered in a nursery at Kapoho in the Puna interceptions of LFA in California (E. Fisher District of the Big Island. In late August 1999, the ant 1999, pers. comm.) was found in 20 acres of a much larger fruit orchard in Papaikou, about 4 miles north of Hilo. Apparently, Description. Little fire ants are tiny, measuring 1/16 infested palm trees were planted as windbreaks inch long. They are pale orange and around the fruit orchard in 1995, so LFA was characteristically move very slowly. They produce Probably established in some commercial nursery painful stings and large red welts. Ants on the Plants at least four years prior to its being first ground rarely sting, but will readily sting when they discovered (Conant and Hirayama 2000). As of July get under clothing as they drop off shrubbery. 2005, LFA is widely distributed in East Hawaii, but has not yet been observed in West Hawaii. A survey