MEDIA RELEASE

The Little Fire Ants forum is 6-8 p.m., Thursday, October 24, 2019 at the West Hawaii Civic Center, Council Chambers.

This community forum will focus on one of the world’s top 100 most invasive species, the Little Fire Ant (LFA). These cryptic ants are very small, slow-moving and reddish-orange in color. You may be living with them and not even know until you are rained on by falling ants which can sting you and your family. LFA are also known to sting pets in the eyes that can potentially lead to blindness. Landscape and farming industries are also greatly impacted. At this meeting, the Hawaii Ant Lab will be discussing the biology of LFA, their impacts, and how to use Integrated Pest Management to prevent the spread of LFA, as well as Best Management Practices to combat LFA infestations. For more information on Little Fire Ants visit: www.littlefireants.com
 
You can bring ant samples to this meeting for identification. To test for LFA:

• Put a thin layer of peanut butter on chopsticks
• Place them around your yard in shady, moist areas
• Collect them after one hour and place in ziplock bags
• Freeze them for 24 hours to kill them
• If you cannot make it to the meeting, you can mail your samples to the Hawaii Ant Lab or Big Island Invasive Species Committee for identification 

To submit your questions to any one of the speakers ahead of the forum go to: http://www.westhawaiiforum.org/event/little-fire-ants-awareness-forum/