Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Kona Imin Center
(76-5893 Old Government Rd., Holualoa, HI, 96725)
5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
The “Electric Ant”
or
“Little Fire Ant (LFA)” or Wasmannia auropunctata is an ant
that shouldn’t be taken
lightly. This ant is found in much
of East Hawaii and in several West Hawaii locations. The first
LFA infested
Kona coffee farm was also recently identified.
LFA may
be easily and unintentionally transported to your farm, residence, or other locations on fresh fruits,
mulch, plants, potted plants,
cut
flowers and
foliage, lumber, etc. In addition, the Hawaii Department of Agriculture’s interisland quarantine protocol requires ALL propagative plant materials to be inspected by an HDOA Plant Quarantine Inspector prior to interisland transport to reduce the risk of spreading LFA and
other pest to neighbor islands.
If this
ant invades your property, home, and/or farm, these are some of your potential risks:
- financial
losses - disclosure issues
- very painful stings - loss of labor
- harmful to pet health and eyes - quarantine issues
- loss of business - costly treatments
Learn
about
the Little Fire Ant from ant specialist, Cas Vanderwoude, as he provides an educational LFA
presentation. Derek Shigematsu of the HDOA
Pesticide Education and Certification Section will also discuss
pesticide labeling, use, and
handling.
Furthermore, coffee farmer, Kim Johnson will talk about her personal
experiences with finding LFA on
her
property and in her coffee field and how she has been affected by
the
ants. A question
and
answer session will follow.
Please preregister for
this
event
by contacting Gina
Bagarino at
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