Fire ants, a venomous and highly invasive species native to South America, have been found at the port of Osaka, with the first confirmation of a queen ant
Fire ants, a venomous and highly invasive species native to South America, have been found at the port of Osaka, with the first confirmation of a queen ant, the Environment Ministry said Tuesday.
The discovery is serious as queen ants can lay over 1,000 eggs a day. While no eggs have been found, the ministry is looking into whether the ants have built a nest.
The discovery came during a probe conducted after another venomous alien ant species was found in a container that had reached a warehouse in Suminoe Ward in the city of Osaka on Thursday. The container had been shipped from Hong Kong.
A cluster of fire ants was found Friday in an asphalt crack in the port area. After killing them with pesticide, workers retrieved about 10 dead ants. On Monday, roughly 50 more were retrieved, including a queen ant, according to the ministry. The ministry estimates there were over 100 fire ants at the spot.
