Little Fire Ants Pest Alert

MoMISC News Release

October is “stop the ant month.”
Wasmannia auropunctata, commonly known as the Little Fire Ant (LFA), are tiny, measuring 1/16 inch in length, orange colored, slow moving ants that pack a powerful sting. They are native to Central and South America.

Since the discovery of LFA on Hawaii Island in 1999, LFA have made it to all major islands except Molokai and one instance on Lanai.

MoMISC staff has been surveying for LFA since 2010. LFA has not yet been detected on Molokai. They are nearly impossible to exterminate once introduced and established at a new site.

For photos and more information on LFA, go online to Hawaii Ant Lab at littlefireants.com or stoptheant.org
LFA, coqui frogs and coconut rhinoceros beetles are three species that will really alter Molokai’s unique lifestyle if left unchecked. They could be here already, but we don’t know. With the help of our community, we can get a better picture of what’s going on across our island.
MoMISC is the Molokai subcommittee of the Maui Invasive Species Committee and a project of the University of Hawaii, Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit. Our mission is to prevent and control introduced invasive pests from becoming established on Molokai. MoMISC staff includes Coordinator Lori Buchanan, Kamalani Pali, Kawehi Soares and Tyson Pactol. We work to keep Molokai free of new invasive species but need support from our community to makaʻala: be vigilant, report and don’t transport any known invasive species. Most invasive species make it to Molokai by people. It takes everyone on our island to take care of our island.
Reports are confidential and there is no cost for us to respond. If you need advice, have questions or think you have a new invasive species problem, contact MoMISC at (808) 480-8191.