Pioneering Control Technologies for Red Imported Fire Ants (Solenopsis invicta) in Taiwan

Abstract

It has been 20 years since the red imported fire ants (RIFA) was first detected in Taiwan. Currently, this ant has appeared across most of northern Taiwan, including the remote islands of Kinmen and Lienchiang. Right after the invasion, the National Red Imported Fire Ant Control Center (NRIFACC) was established. Technologies for alien ant management have also burgeoned among governmental institutes and private sectors. In our study, liquid nitrogen freezing, hot water vapor steaming and dry ice treatment showed a more than 80 percent control rate against individual RIFA nests. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for broadcasting pesticide were tested for increased safety of pest control specialists. Detection dogs were able to locate RIFAs and their nests in nursery farms, construction sites, airports and seaport terminals with an indication rate of over 90 percent. When conducting a large area-wide survey using bait traps, the Fire ant Automatic Image Recognition System (FAIRS) could be used to distinguish RIFA from other ant species with a true positive rate of about 90 percent, while showing RIFAs’ location on a map, reducing the labor cost. Finally, a mobile game regarding ant farming and RIFA management were developed to raise people’s awareness of the impact of invasive ants on the environment and ecosystems, and draw attention to the concepts of biosecurity and richness of biodiversity. Some of the technologies mentioned above were also listed in the Standard Operating Procedures for Fire Ant Control issued by Taiwan’s government.