As one of the largest naval shipping centers in the world, things are always quite busy at the harbors in Tokyo. However, last Thursday (June 18), things were more chaotic when workers at Harumi dock discovered more than 200 poisonous fire ants.
If you do not know, this is a fire ant with strong venom, originating from South America. A single bite or sting from this rare fire ant can cause an acute shortness of breath, even threatening the victim’s life.
Fire ants are extremely powerful venom that is headache Japanese officials.
Fire ants are found in the container yard of the wharf. Agents from the Japanese Ministry of Environment were immediately dispatched to search and destroy them. However, no lair or any queen ants were found. This means wiping out these insects is only a temporary solution.
In September and October last year, a similar incident took place in the port area, involving the destruction of more than 50 queen fire ants. And the ants discovered last week were only about a kilometer from where the ants lived last year. This suggests that these could be remnants of ants, escaped from the purge last year, or a whole new cluster of ants.
In addition, the discovery of a new group of fire ants at the port of Tokyo took place just a week after workers at Yokohama port, about 30 minutes south of Tokyo, found more than 300 ants. fire on June 11.
Experts from the Japanese Ministry of Environment are preying on the poison, hoping that any leftover ant will bring the poison back to its nest and accidentally spread it, helping to wipe out all of them. Warnings have also been issued, suggesting that people should avoid physical contact with ants they suspect and immediately report to authorities.
A fire ant was found in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan in August 2017.
Fire ants are not the only pest that the Japanese government is fighting. They also had to deal with the red ants, another invasive species, which was discovered with more than 1,000 individuals in September last year.
Basically, the types of ants that are harmful to Japan are mainly from South, Central and North America. The original voyage will take them to China. Here, they are dropped ashore with shipping containers. There, they will multiply in large numbers and some will move to cargo ships to Japan and Southeast Asian countries.
Toxic fire ants about 2 mm to 6 mm long and red brown. If injected, the human body can emit strong allergic reactions and can be deadly. Red ants are from 3 mm to 5 mm in size, with less venom than fire ants. The burned victim will itch intensely around the injection site. Fire ants can survive a cold winter and will thrive when the weather is warm again.
In Japan, the government is stepping up efforts to eradicate dangerous migratory ants. The Ministry of the Environment inspects fire ants twice a year at 65 seaports across the country, with subsequent surveys to be conducted within a certain period of time if insects are detected. In addition, local officials provide daycare and schools with instructions on how to identify fire ants.
See Soranews24