The Hidden Fire

Little Fire Ants (LFA) are present on Kauaʻi. These little pests pack a big punch. They are known for their burning stings that can harm humans and animals alike. Little Fire Ants or LFA are slow movers and their colonies can grow in your yard unnoticed for years until there are so many that you start getting stung. LFA pose a threat to Agriculture, pets, livestock and humans. Their stings are intense that can result in a burning rash that can last for several days. 

KISC, the Hawaii Department of Agriculture, and Hawaii Ant Lab have worked on controlling and containing LFA on Kauai since the first detection in 1999. Within the last few years, there have been new isolated infections popping up across the island. Now, more than ever we need help from our community to stay vigilant, test your yards and plants frequently, and inspect plant materials that move around the island. Testing for LFA is easy and is a great way to get the whole ohana involved. It's important to prevent accidental movement of LFA by inspecting all materials that move off of known infested areas.

KISC is consistently strategizing new ways to mitigate LFA and preventing them from spreading further. Little fire ants are not like your typical household ants. Unlike black ants, LFA are attracted to proteins. Things like peanut butter and spam are the perfect bait to get a sample of them. LFA are master Hitchhikers and can catch a ride in anything from trucks and equipment to mulch and potted plants. Be sure to always inspect new plant or building materials that you bring onto your property and if possible, quarantine potted plants in a designated area. An entire satellite colony can fit into the size of an empty macadamia shell and from there grow into an infestation. Even if you don't initially get stings when you get them on your property, they can be silently growing. LFA move about 5 ft a year, this means that they can easily multiply under your nose for years before you start to see signs of their presence. 

Living with the sting: How LFA has impacted Farmers on Hawaii island

KISC urges the public to consider LFA a severe and urgent threat to our island. LFA are skilled hitchhikers and can start a new colony from a group small enough to fit inside a macadamia nut shell. These pests pose a threat to humans and can cause permanent damage to pets and livestock if they are bitten near the eye. These tiny bugs can have a huge impact on local agriculture. Little Fire Ants have been known to grow into super colonies in places like Mahina, Tahiti. There, farmers have completely abandoned their lands because the infestation became too harsh to live with. If LFA were to become widespread on Kauaʻi, our farmers, and ranchers would be faced with extremely difficult conditions just performing everyday operations.

On Hawaiʻi island, LFA have become widespread and cause serious harm. KISC reached out to residents of Hawaiʻi Island to discuss how LFA has directly impacted them. 

Waipiʻo Valley seward, farmer, and educator Iʻini Kahakalau, recalls how her way of life in the ili of Kunaka has changed since she discovered LFA on her farm. In 2020, ʻIʻini took over a property in the valley that had been untouched for at least 50 years. She and her ohana were looking forward to starting farming  and spending time in ancestral ʻāina. Soon after starting work on the property, they noticed lines of LFA on every tree. 

"It's already hard work to reopen this ‘āina, 'not considering having it raining fire.

Every time we cut from the bottom, showers of fire ants come raining down. At the time, it seemed like an impossible task to get to where we are now. Since the first day of 2020, we have been fighting these ants. The first time I experienced a sting it was during our first day on our farm. We were clearing the path into the property and I felt burns from the top of my head to my chest and arms. Sure enough I looked at every kumu and saw marching trails of these ants everywhere.”

ʻIʻini sent samples to Hawaii Ant Lab (HAL), who provided guidance on how to treat a large infestation. HAL estimated  the infestation had likely been there for at least 8 years. With the help of HAL ʻIʻini has been able to keep the LFA on her property manageable. However, she still faces challenges keeping them at bay. LFA thrive in habitats like Waipiʻo, dense canopies in some areas, lots of moisture and trees which resemble much of Kauaʻi. 

"I look at LFA like a disease. It is a problem that impacts everything I do every day. We kept the green waste on our land when we cleared it. We continued treating it because I couldn't consciously move things that might spread to other places. LFA is something I hope other sites never have to deal with. Everyone thinks they're just ants, but something so small has affected how we interact with our community. It has changed our culture of Makana (exchanging gifts). 

Before, when people visited, I could offer bananas ti leaf Lūʻau, but now I need to clean and inspect everything that goes out and comes in. We aren't even safe to swim in our rivers. LFAs float on the surface of the water, and anytime we get into the river to cool off, we get stung by LFA. Of all the invasive pests in Hawaii, I think LFA is possibly the worst. They can grow undetected for years, and most people don't realize they have it until it's invading their homes, but by then, it's too late. They change how we harvest, how we gather, how we give and interact with our friends and family that visit Waipiʻo. LFA even limits places we can go. They have changed every aspect of our lives and should be taken seriously as a threat. We're in one of the most fertile areas of Hawaii and we can't even plant kalo because all of our energy is put toward fighting invasive species.

"I grew up learning to swim in this river. This place is where my ohana grew me and now that I'm able to access this area again, my heart hurts knowing that my nieces and nephews won't have the same experiences I had because I'm afraid they will suffer from LFA stings."

After long days of weed wacking or working down here there's nothing better than jumping in a river, but the stings are so bad that I just pack up and go shower at home. This ant has completely changed how we are able to interact with ʻāina. Before we leave the valley our vehicles get a rinse in the river to make sure they're off the tires. Its altered ways of living that generations of our ʻohana have been operating. 

“This tree was here when we got the property. I'd love to let my friends who weave come down and harvest themselves but I feel such kuleana to make sure they are safe and LFA does not spread to their ʻāina that I have to make sure everything is processed and cleaned properly before anything leaves the property now."

ʻIʻini took the WIO X KISC team around the property to show us something significant to her ʻohana. Despite the waves of rain, she shared her experiences and struggles living with LFA. Her final message for the Kauai community is to take this threat seriously. 

“Spread the word to everyone in your life. Many people, especially kupuna, don't have media access. Everyone needs to be on board and fight this species because if only some people in an ahupuaʻa are fighting, there will always be a threat of reinvasion.”

To prevent infestations across Kauaʻi like those ʻIʻini is dealing with, the key is finding new infestations before they get too large to control. Everyone on the island needs to get involved. 

There are numerous ways to do so:

1.Regularly survey your property;

2.Test for LFA in new plant material before out-planting; and

3.Test heavy equipment before it enters your property. 

During Stop the Ant Month in October, students across the island showed their support by collecting and submitting over 100 samples with no LFA detected. If you would like to help out, please survey your property and send in any ants collected. Collecting samples is easy. You can find LFA test kits with instructions at any local library or online at the link below. 

LFA is a top priority for KISC and we are committed to helping protect Kauaʻi from further impacts. For the next year, we will focus our efforts on leading an immediate survey and response while advocating for the development of a comprehensive management strategy with all partners' roles and responsibilities clearly defined.

Let's all work together to contain the threat of LFA on Kauaʻi. An effort this large takes everyone willing and able to spread the word, not the sting. Help us find where little fire ants are hiding on Kauaʻi and stop them from spreading across the island.

If you are interested in testing your yard for LFAs, pick up a LFA collection kit at any public library. We recommend testing at least once a year.

Request a LFA collection kit online at www.stoptheant.org. To request a large property kit for farms, nurseries, or business call Kauai Invasive Species Committee at 808-821-1490. 

Don't delay! Test for LFA, today!