Jul 22 (Japan Times) - Dozens of venomous fire ants have been found at Hakata port, the Environment Ministry said, marking the first detection of the invasive species in Kyushu.
The nation’s first discovery of fire ants was in May, when they were spotted at a container yard at Kobe port in Hyogo Prefecture. Discoveries elsewhere in Honshu have since been reported.
With the latest detection in Fukuoka Prefecture, announced Friday, fire ants have been found in Tokyo and five prefectures including Aichi and Osaka.
In Fukuoka, the ants were found in a crack at Hakata port’s container yard, which handles containers shipped from Nansha port in China’s Guangdong province.
Authorities sprayed insecticide and deployed traps near the port. No queen or larva were found.
Source: ANNnewsCH
