Queen Fire Ant Discovered: Spread of the Fire Ants Sounds a Nationwide Alarm

[경향신문]

Officials of the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency collect red imported fire ants (RIFA) while conducting a close inspection of the container yard at Incheon Port on the afternoon of June 8. Incheon | Kim Gi-Nam

"We have even discovered a queen ant,..."

On the morning of July 7 at the Incheon Port container yard in Jung-gu, Incheon, the officials of the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, under the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, who conducted a close inspection, were surprised when searching the site where over seventy red imported fire ant (RIFA) workers had been discovered the previous day. They found additional red imported fire ants--one queen ant, bigger in size than the workers, sixteen larvae, and over 560 worker ants.

This is the first time that a RIFA queen has been discovered in South Korea. Another fifty RIFA workers were found in an area 80 meters away from the site.

The latest discovery of a queen RIFA with hundreds of her workers in Korea has fueled concerns of a spread of the pests. On July 8, the agricultural ministry announced that the government found over 700 red imported fire ants after a joint inspection of the Incheon Port container yard on July 6 and 7 with the environment ministry, the Rural Development Administration and experts from the academia.

The discovery of the queen ant and her larvae indicates that the queen spawned eggs after she entered the country. The quarantine authorities estimate that the red imported fire ants in the latest discovery first entered Incheon Port this spring. Given that ants involved in reproduction, such as "princess ants" (winged female ants yet to mate) and male ants, have not been found, experts believe the RIFA colony has yet to engage in mass reproduction.

However, red imported fire ants continue to be discovered in South Korea, and the latest discovery of a RIFA colony including a queen, capable of reproduction, suggests the possibility of a spread of the pests in the nation.

This is the sixth discovery of the ants in South Korea since the fire ants were first discovered at a container yard at Busan Gamman Container Terminal on September 28, 2017. The RIFA was discovered in rubber tree saplings from China imported through Incheon Port on February 29 and in dried bamboos imported from China through Busan Port on May 30. On June 18 and 20, authorities confirmed RIFA colonies at the Pyeongtaek Port container terminal and the Hutchison Korea Terminal in Busan respectively.

Authorities are conducting a thorough inspection of the area surrounding the sites where the fire ants were discovered and are taking stronger measures by increasing the number of traps from eleven to 766 installed near the sites. They are thoroughly disinfecting the containers within 200 meters from the RIFA discovery points before they are taken out of the yard and will conduct an epidemiological investigation including a DNA analysis to reveal the exact time and route of the arrival of the red fire ants.

The red imported fire ants are native to South America and are pests designated as one of 100 of the world's worst invasive alien species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The ants contain strong toxic substances like solenopsin in their bodies and if a person is stung by a RIFA, it can cause severe pain and itching. In severe cases, the victim can suffer from hypersensitive symptoms like dizziness and difficulty breathing.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced, "There have been some reports in North America where people stung by the red imported fire ants have died, but there have been no deaths in China and Taiwan where the red ants have widely settled."

Experts advise people to take caution so as not to be bitten by the ants when engaging in outdoor activities and to immediately visit the nearest hospital if physical conditions suddenly change after being bitten by an ant.