Residents from Mililani, Mauka, and Waimanalo have helped the Department of Agriculture win the battle against the invasive little fire ant, according to Associated Press and KHON2. Officials from the department checked traps set three months ago for the ants, and found no ants.
Students at school are glad there are no fire ants. “It’s good we don’t have invasive little species, biting everyone and getting everything when they’re not supposed to be there,” said Theresa Smith, a junior from Colorado studying biochemistry. “It’s not good for the environment and I’m glad I can go outside without getting bit from a fire ant.”
According to AP, little fire ants can bite and produce painful stings and large red welts on a person and cause blindness in pets. They can completely overrun properties, building colonies in the ground or in plants.
Despite what reports say, some students don’t believe the fire ants will be completely gone. “I don’t believe there’s any way they could have regulated that,” said Cecilyn Crosby, a junior studying music from Texas. “Maybe they could statistically, but have they really been everywhere? Fire ants are teeny. There’s no way you could exterminate every single one of those things.”
If the reports are true, residents of Hawaii will rejoice. “I’m happy about it, because we don’t have to deal with another predator in paradise,” said Courtney Potter from Laie. “My cousin got bit all over his feet, and he couldn’t walk on his feet for a couple of days. There were huge red welts all over his feet. Fire ants are painful and they cause a lot of havoc.”
Named the most invasive species in the world, the little fire ant arrived on Hawaii on imported plants, according to AP. They were first seen 1999 on the Big Island, and have been found in shipments to Maui. The little fire ants originated from South America but have spread over the Pacific region, described AP.
“Its not very probable they managed to kill every single last one,” said Smith. “But there are geckos, and geckos like to eat ants. And there are people who will happily exterminate any ant they see.”