Biologists call for urgent nationwide response to stop fire ant infestation

While Japan may have the advantage of having detected them at an early stage, I wonder if any invaded country has successfully been able to stop them.

This is only the scientists calling for action. Any action will have to be initiated by the government, who will call for proposals, dither over them through ten to twenty meetings, ask 'experts' for their advice and then, set a timeline for action to be initiated....... guessed it....... by 2020. Meanwhile, these ants will have spread all over the country.

These ants are highly invasive and nearly impossible to get rid of. They have invaded many countries. There are large colonies of them in northern Australia. However, there are far worse ants in Australia like, the red bulldog ant. It grows to 3cm long and people have died from its bite.

Doom! Isn't it already too late? Spotted in May, which means they may have been getting here before then; seen at different posts around the country, so impossible to isolate. They'd better start publishing pictures so we know what to look out for.

@Educator60 - I'm relieved to know they have taken my advice. :)

I suppose I ought to get a TV, but it's just more clutter.

While Japan may have the advantage of having detected them at an early stage, I wonder if any invaded country has successfully been able to stop them.

Might help reading the entire article before making a comment, that just tells everyone that you do otherwise.

Why am I getting the feeling that the actions taken to try and stop the fire ants, will probably end up being worse than the harm they cause?

TV just makes me angry. I googled it. euw.

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/EbNleG-w6G0/sddefault.jpg

What Murakami said. If NZ did it we (Japan & Oz) can do it surely! ;)

Inform/involve the population (farmers, dockers, residents) if needed, what can we do to prevent the spread of fire ants?

I hope it's not too late! I remember before fire ants came to America. Ahhh, those were better days. Imagine there's no kudzu, no wisteria too, no carp nor boas. That make your days blue. Imagine there's no fire ants. And no hyacinth. Enjoying nature's best. Without all thes invasives, to disturb your rest.

Japan needs a proper Biosecurity programme, much like New Zealand's. They used to station staff here in Japan to check throughly the secondhand cars that Japan exports over there. The closest I've seen to any concrete action here was on the ferry terminal at Ogasawara, where you dipped your shoes in a shallow bath of disinfectant on disembarking, though they ignored the dirty hiking boots that were on many travelers' back packs!

I know from people who have lived in parts of the US with fire ants that they view this with foreboding. Yet, this seems to me like yet another Japanese government incidence of hysteria. Remember two or three years ago, they closed parks because of dengue-fever causing mosquitoes? The longer I live here, the more I think this entire country has generalized anxiety disorder. Given the prevalence of quakes, this is understandable. Yet the government and media take every possible chance to fan flames of worry. If it isn't fire ants, it's some new disease symptom you never noticed before, or tornado warnings, or high temperatures broadcast constantly on TV with warnings to drink water. Yes, I'm sure this is good overall, but. I'm willing to be wary in this case, but I also think it could also be yet another case of crying wolf.

The wolf eventually came.