According to officials from the state Department of Agriculture there are at least six homes in Mililani Mauka which have been confirmed to have a fire ant infestation. The department is now surveying another 125 houses around the 95-1000 block of Auina Street to see how far the problem has spread. Once the scope of the problem is identified, a plan to treat the area will be created. The little fire ants are an invasive species that are pale orange and measure one-sixteenth of an inch long. They are known to sting and cause large, red welts on humans and the ants an also cause blindness in pets. If the pet is stung in the eye, a cataract will form, and the pet will lose its vision. Rob Curtiss, the acting manager for the Department of Agriculture's pest control branch, stated, "There's a lot of problems with having little fire ants, so that's why it's important that we get rid of it as soon as we find it. Then once we stop finding ants, we continue surveying up to three years, and if after three years we never find any more ants, then we'll be confident that we've eradicated it."
Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 6-28-2014, www.staradvertiser.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Principal Broker, REALTOR®
Global Executive Realty, LLC
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