S. Korea heightens quarantine efforts against red fire ants

DAEGU, Sept. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has strengthened efforts to contain the spread of red fire ants after about 800 of the highly invasive species were discovered in a construction site in Daegu, authorities said Wednesday.

The Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency has confirmed that about 800 red fire ants were discovered in landscape rocks imported from China and used at a construction site in the city, located 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on Monday.

A red fire ant queen, two princess ants, 30 male ants, 27 pupae and 770 worker ants have been detected in the rocks that arrived from China via the southeastern port of Busan on Sept. 7.

It is the first time an ant queen was found inland in South Korea. Another was confirmed in the western port city of Incheon in July.

Quarantine officials have installed about 150 traps in the affected area and will add 500 traps within 5 kilometers of the site by Thursday, the environment ministry said.

They will continue to disinfect the area and prohibit movement of people and equipment around the area for six hours on Wednesday afternoon, the ministry noted.

"We looked into their habitat and set traps in places where ants may be moving about, such as grassland and parks," Kim Dong-eon, a senior researcher at the National Institute of Ecology, said.

It is the seventh case of the foreign ants being found in South Korea since some 1,000 ants were spotted in Busan port in September 2017.

Red fire ants have a sting that can cause severe allergic reaction in people, including breathing problems, and in severe cases can lead to death.

ejkim@yna.co.kr
(END)