State officials kick off red imported fire ant campaign

FRESNO, CALIFORNIA - The state Department of Food and Agriculture will kick off a campaign Thursday to help farmers identify the red imported fire ant. <br> <br> ``They are a threat to livestock, they are a threat to newborn calves and they have been known to blind horses,&#39;&#39; department spokesman Larry Cooper said Wednesday. ``It&#39;s important that people know these ants are dangerous and to stay away from those mounds.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Almond orchards have been hit hardest by infestations during the past 2.5 years, after ants stowed away in beehives shipped in from Southeastern states for pollination, Cooper said. The pests have infested the Southeast, attacking crops, livestock and people, and causing billions of dollars in damage a year. <br> <br> In California, state officials have found the largest red imported fire ant mound and area of infestation in Merced County. The mound is about 2.5 feet tall and about 4 feet wide, and the infestation runs across 2,400 acres in the county. <br> <br> The imported ants, which look like California native varieties, swarm around their victim when disturbed, injecting venom that causes small sores. The stings usually cause pain and discomfort, and can be fatal to humans allergic to the venom. <br> <br> State officials instructed farmers and other residents to call a toll-free number, 888-4FIREANT, for free pesticide services. <br> <br> Red imported fire ants were discovered in Bakersfield in 1997 and in Orange County in 1998, Cooper said. Since then, they have infested Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties. They have been seen as far away as Fresno, Stanislaus and Sacramento counties. <br> <br> Eleven states have imported fire ant infestations, and none of their eradication efforts has been successful. <br> <br> Cooper said California has had a 98 percent eradication rate, because the department has been able to detect the pest early enough so that it hasn&#39;t spread. <br> <br> The ants, native to South America, likely arrived on some plant or cargo material transported illegally. They thrive because of the temperate climate, entomologists say.