Fire Ants and the Future of maui Wetlands

Rain Forest Relationships

? H��ike o Haleakal� 1

Coastal Unit 4

Fire Ants and the

Future of Maui Wetlands

Overview

No ant species are native to Hawai�i. However,
more than 40 species of ants have been collected
here. Many of these have become naturalized
and are now part of the islands? ecosystems.
Among the pest ants that have not yet been
discovered on the island of Maui are two species,
both of which are referred to as ?fire ants.? One
species, the ?little fire ant? (Wasmannia
auropunctata), is established on the island of
Hawai�i but has not yet been found on Maui. The
other, the ?red imported fire ant? (Solenopsis
invicta), has been spreading across the continen-
tal United States since the 1930s but has not yet
been discovered in Hawai�i. Many people be-
lieve that the red imported fire ant is very likely
to become the next severe pest invasion in
Hawai�i unless dramatic steps are taken to pre-
vent its arrival and establishment.
This unit engages students in efforts at early
detection of these pest species on Maui, and
challenges them to help minimize the potential
threat to wetlands and endangered species here
by developing a prevention and action plan.

Length of Entire Unit

Five class periods.

Unit Focus Questions

1) What threat could pest ants such as the red

imported fire ant pose to native ecosystems
once they become established on Maui?

2) What biological and behavioral characteris-

tics make the red imported fire ant a potential
threat?

3) How can people protect Maui and its natural

areas from invasion by pests such as the red
imported fire ant?

Fire Ants and the Future of Maui Wetlands

2 Coastal Issues in the News ? H��ike o Haleakal�

Coastal Unit 5

Unit at a Glance

Activity #1

Finding the Little Fire Ant

Students collect ants from their homes or other
locations around the island. They use a simple
key to identify ants that may be the little fire ant,
which has not yet been discovered on Maui.

Length
One class period, preceded and followed by
homework (the preceding homework assignment
entails students collecting ants).

Prerequisite Activity
None

Objectives
?

Collect and attempt to identify ants using a
simple key.

Describe the threat the little fire ant could
pose to native ecosystems on Maui, humans
and domestic animals.

Explain why early detection is important for
pest species such as the little fire ant.

DOE Grades 9-12 Science Standards and
Benchmarks
LIVING THE VALUES, ATTITUDES, AND
COMMITMENTS OF AN INQUIRING MIND:
Students apply the values, attitudes, and commit-
ments characteristic of an inquiring mind.
?

HONESTY: Report findings accurately
without alterations and draw conclusions
from unaltered findings.

DOING SAFETY: Students demonstrate the
importance of safety by applying safety skills in
all activities.
?

Apply school, classroom, laboratory, and
field trip rules, as appropriate, to maintain a
safe learning environment.

Activity #2

Red Imported Fire Ant Prevention
and Quick Response Plan

Students research and develop an island-wide
plan to prevent the red imported fire ant from
becoming established on Maui and to respond
rapidly to control the spread of any populations
that are found.

Length
Three class periods, preceded by homework and
interspersed with out-of-class research time.

Prerequisite Activity
None

Objectives
?

Describe the potential threat the red imported
fire ant poses to Maui wetlands and the
endangered Hawaiian bird species that nest
there.

Research topics related to red imported fire
ants to devise a plan for protecting Maui and
Maui wetlands from invasion.

DOE Grades 9-12 Science Standards and
Benchmarks
LIVING THE VALUES, ATTITUDES, AND
COMMITMENTS CHARACTERISTIC OF AN
INQUIRING MIND: Students apply the values,
attitudes, and commitments characteristic of an
inquiring mind.
?

SELF-DIRECTED: Use research techniques
and a variety of sources to complete a report
on a project of one?s choice.

RELATING THE NATURE OF TECHNOLOGY
TO SCIENCE: Students use the problem-solving
process to address current issues involving
human adaptation in the environment.
?

Evaluate alternative solutions for effective-
ness based on appropriate criteria.

Fire Ants and the Future of Maui Wetlands

- H�ike o Haleakal�

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Coastal Unit 5

Activity #3

Race to the Wetlands Game

Students play a game that tests their knowledge
of fire ants and ant prevention and control strate-
gies.

Length
One class period

Prerequisite Activity
Activity #1 ?Finding the Little Red Fire Ant?
Activity #2 ?Red Imported Fire Ant Prevention
and Quick Response Plan?

Objectives
?

Demonstrate knowledge of pest ants and
strategies used to prevent their establishment
or control their populations.

DOE Grades 9-12 Science Standards and
Benchmarks
None

Enrichment Ideas

Watch the video, Ants: Little Creatures that
Run the World to become familiar with basic
ant biology and behavior. (Video included
with this curriculum, Alpine/Aeolian Unit 4
?Good Critters, Bad Critters.?)

Research the native and migratory water birds
that use Ke�lia Pond National Wildlife Ref-
uge and other Hawaiian wetlands. One good
place to start is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service Pacific Islands Ecoregion website. It
includes information about threatened and
endangered animals in the Hawaiian Islands
at
<pacificislands.fws.gov>.

Extend the time available for students to
develop their management plans, perhaps
even over a period of several weeks. Require
more in-depth research, and allow in-class
time for students to share information and
develop strategies. This will increase the
likelihood that students will come up with
useful and appropriate ideas for protecting
Maui from the red imported fire ant.

Put together one class proposal that draws
together the best ideas from all of the small
group plans. Present this proposal to the Ant
Working Group. (Contact the Ant Working
Group through Ellen VanGelder at 572-4472
or evangeld@hawaii.edu.)

Implement student ideas. Students can
design ways to evaluate how effective these
ideas are once they are put into action.

Create a public service announcement, poster,
or other educational materials about the red
imported fire ant.

Fire Ants and the Future of Maui Wetlands

- H�ike o Haleakal�

Fire Ants and the Future of Maui Wetlands

? H��ike o Haleakal� 5

Activity #1
Coastal Unit 4

Activity #1

Finding the Little Fire Ant

In Advance Collecting Ants
Materials & Setup

Three (or more) clean disposable chopsticks

Optional: Bright orange paint or felt-tip markers

Peanut butter (the cheaper generic kind works best; the ?natural? kind doesn?t work as well)

A spoon

Small paper cups

Small self-sealing plastic bags, such as Ziplocs (sandwich size or the even smaller snack size)

Sharp or mechanical pencils

Specimen labels (see Student Page ?Survey for Little Fire Ants,? p. 20)

Optional: tongs or gloves if you do not want to pick up bait sticks without them and possibly get
ants on yourself

For each student
?

Student Page ?Finding the Little Fire Ant? (pp. 12-15)

Student Page ?Survey for Little Fire Ants? (pp. 16-20)

Instructions

1) Several days before you start this unit, hand out the Student Page ?Finding the Little Fire Ant.?

Ask students to collect ants to bring to class on the day you will be starting the unit. The student
page contains a list of materials students will need (those listed above).

2) Students may collect ants at home or another location of their choosing. With the help of the

student page, they should be able to do the ant collections by themselves. You may want to walk
students through the steps in the classroom or even take them out on school grounds to do a trial
run.

3) This activity is part of an ongoing effort to monitor for the presence of the little fire ant on Maui.

Because the information students develop may be used by researchers, students MUST:
?

Follow the ant collection instructions in the student page precisely, and

Be honest about where the ants were collected. Students may be tempted to share ants with
each other and claim they were collected in different places. Make sure students understand
that being dishonest about where ants were collected could interfere with efforts to eradicate
little fire ants if your class discovers them.

???

6 Fire Ants and the Future of Maui Wetlands ? H��ike o Haleakal�

Activity #1

Coastal Unit 4

Class Period One Little Fire Ant Identification Lab
Materials & Setup

Frozen ant specimens collected by students

For each student or lab groups of two to four students
?

A hand lens of at least 10x or a dissecting microscope (one for each lab group or student)

Student Page ?Wasmannia Identification Key? (pp. 21-22)

?Color Wasmannia Key? (master, pp. 10-11)

Ruler with mm markings

For each student
?

Student Page ?Finding the Little Fire Ant? (pp. 12-19)

Student Page ?Little Fire Ant Quiz? (pp. 23-24)

Instructions

1) Divide students into lab groups of two to four students each. Or allow students to work on their

own if you have enough magnifying lenses or dissecting microscopes to go around.

2) Instruct students to keep each specimen with the appropriate bag and label. That way if there are

questions about identification or if the specimen appears to be a little fire ant, the correct informa-
tion about where it was collected will be readily available.

3) Hand out the Student Page ?Wasmannia Identification Key? and the ?Color Wasmannia Key.?

Explain that students will be looking for ants that match the distinguishing characteristics of the
little fire ant.

4) After your students (with your help, if necessary) have eliminated all ants they know are NOT

Wasmannia auropunctata, gather all remaining specimens, put them in their bags with the correct
label inside, and store them in the freezer. These specimens may include:
a) Ants you have identified as Wasmannia auropunctata, and
b) Ants that MAY be Wasmannia auropunctata (i.e., you are uncertain about the identification).

5) If there are specimens that you believe are or may be little fire ants:

Write your (the teacher?s) contact information on the back of the corresponding specimen
label.

Put the label in the bag along with the ants and the chopstick. Seal the bag.

If there is more than one questionable collection, keep each in its own bag with its own label.

Mail the bags to: Ellen VanGelder; Research, Haleakal� National Park, P.O. Box 369,
Makawao, HI 96768.

A trained biologist will identify the ants and notify you if you have found a little fire ant.

6) Assign the Student Page ?Little Fire Ant Quiz? as homework.

???

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Activity #1

Coastal Unit 4

Teacher Version

Little Fire Ant Quiz

1) Why are some ant species known as ?tramp ants??

Some ants are especially good at ?hitching a ride? with humans, expanding their range
by traveling in goods and cargo being shipped around the world.

2) Describe one threat the little fire ant could pose to native ecosystems and species on Maui. Explain

why you think this impact would matter.

Possible answers include:

It attacks and preys on native invertebrates and possibly vertebrates such as
reptiles and mammals.

It completely takes over an area it invades, competing with native species for food
and nesting sites.

It stings the eyes and soft, moist tissues of animals.

It could eliminate or reduce diversity among native invertebrate species.

Explanations about the importance of the impact will vary from student to student.

3) Describe one threat the little fire ant could pose to humans and domestic animals. Explain why

you think this impact would matter.

Possible answers include:

The ants sting people or animals when they roll on or touch them.

They sting people while gardening, picking fruits or flowers, or doing other outdoor
activities.

They move into homes in search of food.

Stings may cause momentary discomfort, or welts and itching that last for days.

Explanations about the importance of the impact will vary.

Fire Ants and the Future of Maui Wetlands

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Activity #1

Coastal Unit 4
Color Copy Master

Color Wasmannia Key

1a.

Body (not including antennae) 2mm or more in length

NOT WASMANNIA

1b.

Tiny, body less than 2mm in length.................................2

2a.

Ant is all dark brown to black in color

NOT WASMANNIA

2b.

Ant is not all dark brown to black in color (e.g., red, yellow, or light brown)..............3

Big-headed ant
Pheidole megacephala

Little fire ant
Wasmannia auropunctata

Dark brown/black ants

Ants not all dark brown/black

Solenopsis papuana

Ochetellus glaber

Wasmannia
auropunctata
Color=light brown/
orange

Solenopsis geminata
Color=reddish

3a.

One node on waist between thorax and gaster.

NOT WASMANNIA

3b.

Two nodes on waist between thorax and gaster...................4

4a.

Ant is bi-colored (e.g., gaster and/or head are a different color than rest of body)

NOT

WASMANNIA

4b.

Ant is all one color (yellow, red, orange, light brown................5

Bi-colored ant
Monomorium floricolor

One-colored ant
Wasmannia
auropunctata

Fire Ants and the Future of Maui Wetlands

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Activity #1

Coastal Unit 4
Color Copy Master

Image Credits
?Walter Nagamine, Hawai�i Department of Agriculture (1a/b Pheidole megacephala, Wasmannia auropunctata; 2b, 4b, 6b Wasmannia auropunctata)
?Neil Reimer, Hawai�i Department of Agriculture (2a Solenopsis papuana, Ochetellus glaber; 4a Monomorium floricolor)
?Hirotami T. Imai and Masao Kubota (2b Solenopsis geminata)
?E. W. Huddleston, A. A. Laplante, and S. S. Fluker, ?Pictorial Key of the Ants of Hawaii Based on the Worker Forms,? Proceedings of the Hawaii
Entomological Society, Vol. 20, No. 1, 1968, pp. 71-79 (3a/b line drawings, color added)
?M. R. Smith, House Infesting Ants of the Eastern United States, Technical Bulletin No. 1326, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of
Agriculture, 1965, reprinted in Bert Holldobler and Edward O. Wilson, The Ants, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1990 (5a
Solenopsis)
?M. R. Smith, ?A Generic and Subgeneric Synopsis of the United States Ants, Based on the Workers (Hymenoptera: Formicidae),? American Midland
Naturalist, Vol. 37, No. 3, pp. 521-647 reprinted in Bert Holldobler and Edward O. Wilson, The Ants, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachu-
setts, 1990, (5b Cardiocondyla)
?Dennis Kunkel Microscopy, Inc., �2001 (6b Wasmannia auropunctata)
?American Natural History Association (6a Tetramorium simillumum)

5a.

Propodeum is smooth, no spines present

NOT WASMANNIA

5b.

Propodeum with a distinct pair of spines present.................6

6a.

Antennal scrobe (groove) absent, propodeum spines short and stumpy Tetramorium
simillimum

6b.

Antennal scrobe (groove) present, propodeum spines long and pointy

Wasmannia

auropunctata

Wasmannia auropunctata

Tetramorium simillimum

Short, stumpy spine

Long, pointy spine

Fire Ants and the Future of Maui Wetlands

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Activity #1

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STUDENT P

Finding the Little Fire Ant

Why we don?t want the little fire
ant on Maui

Effects on native ecosystems and
species

The little fire ant has invaded several areas
around the world. It is a destructive, pervasive,
tramp ant species that occurs in very high densi-
ties. Little fire ants have a relatively powerful
sting, will defend themselves and their nests, eat
a wide variety of prey, and are extremely vora-
cious predators of ?invertebrates,? (animals
without backbones).
The little fire ant wreaks havoc in the native
ecosystems it invades. It often completely takes
over an area, eliminating other ants and attacking
and preying on native invertebrates, and even
vertebrates such as reptiles and mammals. In the
Galapagos Islands, for example, little fire ants
have been reported to attack the Galapagos
tortoise, a highly endangered species. The ants
attack the tortoises? eyes and reproductive organs,
damaging their vision and leaving them unable to

reproduce. On the Pacific islands of New
Caledonia, this ant has dramatically
decreased populations of several ani-
mals, including geckos and lizards. The
little fire ant may also sting the eyes of
mammals, perhaps because they are
attracted to the moisture. Mammals with
eye damage believed to be caused by
little fire ants include elephants and
domestic cats, both in Gabon (Africa).
Little fire ants eliminate or reduce
populations of invertebrates and verte-
brates either directly, by preying on
them, or indirectly, by outcompeting
them for resources (such as food, nest-
ing habitat, or territory). Little fire ants

No ants are native to the Hawaiian Islands, yet
a total of 44 ant species have been recorded here.
All of these species were accidentally introduced
by humans. Some ants are especially good at
?hitching a ride? with humans, expanding their
range by traveling in goods and cargo being
shipped around the world. These species are
known, fittingly, as ?tramp ants.?
Among the ants that have not yet made their
way to Maui is one tramp species known as the
little fire ant (Wasmannia auropunctata). The
little fire ant is native to Central America and the
northern part of South America. This species gets
its name from its powerful sting that can feel fire-
like to the person or animal on the receiving end
of the sting. The little fire ant could be a big
problem for three main reasons:
?

It is very destructive to native ecosystems in
areas that it has already invaded,

It is a serious nuisance to humans and domes-
tic animals, and

It has a good chance of getting to Maui.
Indeed, the little fire ant may already be here.

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Scanning electron microscopy image of Wasmannia auropunctata

(Photo: � Dennis Kunkel Microscopy, Inc.)

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STUDENT P

tend to have severe impacts on native invertebrate
communities, eliminating some species, reducing
the abundance of others, and reducing inverte-
brate diversity overall.
There are no native ants on the Hawaiian
Islands, so as ant species make it to the islands
and become established, they may pose a
signficant threat to our native ecosystems. Hawai-
ian native plants
and animals have
evolved over
millions of years
without having to
defend themselves
against the preda-
tory abilities of
ants like the little
fire ant.

Effects on
humans and
domestic
animals

The little fire ant
has painful stings,
a defensive nature,
and the tendency to
occur in dense populations. That adds up to bad
news for humans and their domestic animals. It is
difficult to enjoy being outdoors in areas where
they have invaded. Little fire ants sting when
they are rolled on or touched, or when people or
animals come into contact with the plants in
which the ants are nesting or feeding. People get
stung while gardening, picking fruits or flowers,
or enjoying other outdoor activities. An indi-
vidual ant can deliver multiple stings, and often
several ants attack at once. This ant is also
known to move into homes in search of food,
seriously annoying inhabitants with their stings.
Different people react differently to this ant.
Some people feel a painful sting followed by an

itch that goes away in a few minutes. With other
people welts may develop on the skin where they
were stung, and the itch may last for several days.

Why the little fire ant has a good
chance of getting to Maui

Like other tramp ant species, this ant often gets

to new places by stowing away on
goods (particularly nursery plants) that
are shipped from infested areas. This
species is currently ?on our doorstep,?
having recently become established on
the island of Hawai�i. The little fire ant
became established in areas around
Hilo by stowing away in nursery plants
imported to the island from another
country or possibly from Florida. Now,
since nurseries on the Big Island often
ship plants to neighbor islands, there is
a good chance that the little fire ant
could get to Maui.
In fact, the little fire ant may already
be on Maui. It was not discovered on
Hawai�i until March of 1999. However,
entomologists studying the little fire

ant believe the ant may have been on the
Big Island for as many as five or six
years before it was discovered.

When the little fire ant was discovered on
Hawai�i, the Hawai�i Department of Agriculture
required that all nursery plants shipped from
infested areas of the Big Island be inspected for
the ant before being shipped. If the ants are
found, the nursery stock is either treated with
insecticide before shipping or not shipped at all.
But if the ants have been on the island since
around 1994, there is a chance that infested
nursery stock was shipped from the Big Island
without anyone knowing the ants were there. It is
reasonable to think that the little fire ant could
have made it to Maui by now, from its neighbor
island or from another location.

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Little fire ants sometimes congregate on

plants. (Photo: Ellen VanGelder)

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STUDENT P

For this species of ant, as with many ?pest?
species, the key to avoiding its destructive effects
on Maui is to prevent it from getting here in the
first place. This is done through a series of
precautions and inspections called ?quarantines.?
The Hawai�i Department of Agriculture has
instituted a little fire ant quarantine on agriculture
and nursery items destined for uninfested areas of
the state. However, if the ant already occurs on
Maui (and right now, nobody knows if it does or
not), it is very important to find it soon, before it
develops large, well established populations.
There is a much better chance of eradicating
them or controlling their spread if we find them
when populations are still small.
It is in the best interest of all of us to find out as
soon as possible if the little fire ant has reached
Maui?and if so, where it occurs. You can help
find out. In this activity, you will collect ants near
your school, home, or any place else you visit on
the island. You will take these ants back to the
classroom or laboratory to identify whether they

are (or might be) Wasmannia auropunctata, the
little fire ant.

What you should know about the
little fire ant

Before heading out into the field to survey for
this species, you need to learn a little bit about
the little fire ant (Wasmannia auropunctata).
Here is a brief description:
?

The little fire ant is a tiny (about 1.5 mm
long) ant that is light orange in color.

Little fire ants move very slowly compared to
other ants, and with their small size it is
sometimes even difficult to tell they are there
? people mistake them for little specks of
dirt.

Little fire ant workers?the ants you
are most likely to see and collect?
are ?monomorphic? (mono = one; morph =
shape or type). That means they look alike.
They are similar in size, shape, and color.

This ant is both

?terrestrial? (ground-
dwelling) and ?arbo-
real? (tree-dwelling),
and can survive in a
wide variety of habitats.
They nest almost
anywhere, including on
the ground (under logs,
sticks, rocks, or debris)
and in plants or trees
(under the bark or in
crevices of the plant).

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Little fire ants gather on a bait stick. You?ll be collecting

ants in this way. (Photo: Ellen VanGelder)

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Because the ants move very slowly, it is easy
to avoid getting stung while surveying for
them. In fact, little fire ants often stand
relatively still, or simply fall off the bait stick
when you disturb it (for example, by picking
it up). Many other species, on the other hand,
will frantically run up and down the stick if it
is disturbed or picked up.

As with many other ?tramp? ant species, the
way the little fire ant disperses naturally is via
?budding.? This means that the newly mated
queens travel on foot to a new location within
a few meters of their birth colony. This makes
the spread of their populations easier to track,
and it makes the populations easier to control
or eradicate than species that have queens that
fly.

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STUDENT P

Survey for Little Fire Ants

It?s Easy to Do Without Getting Stung!

Five Easy Steps

Your ant survey will be conducted in five easy
steps:
1) Putting out bait for ants

(For the little fire ant you?ll use peanut butter
placed on a chopstick.)

2) Collecting the ants that come to the bait
3) Labeling the collection

THIS IS IMPORTANT!!

4) Freezing the ants to kill and preserve them
5) Taking your specimens back to the classroom

so you can look at them closely in order to
identify whether you have found any little fire
ants

Materials Needed

For field surveys
?

Three (or more) clean disposable chopsticks

Optional: Bright orange paint or felt-tip
markers

Peanut butter (the cheaper generic kind works
best; the ?natural? kind doesn?t work as well)

A spoon

Small paper cups

Small self-sealing plastic bags, such as
Ziplocs (sandwich size or the even smaller
snack size)

Sharp or mechanical pencils

Specimen labels (in this student page)

Optional: tongs or gloves if you do not want
to pick up bait sticks without them and
possibly get ants on yourself

For ant identification (in your classroom or
laboratory):
? A hand lens of at least 10x or a dissecting
microscope (one for each lab group or student)
? Student Page ?Wasmannia Identification Key?
? ?Color Wasmannia Key? (from your teacher)

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STUDENT P

with about one or two tablespoons of peanut
butter in it, six self-sealing bags, six specimen
labels, and a sharp pencil. You can also bring
tongs or gloves if you are afraid of getting
ants on you.

3) At the survey site, roll the unpainted half of

one of the sticks in the peanut butter. Wipe
excess peanut butter off on the edge of the
cup. The stick should have just a light coat-
ing of peanut butter on the unpainted half,
barely enough peanut butter to cover the
stick?s surface.

4) Place the stick on the ground, in a shady

area?such as under or next to vegetation,
next to potted plants or flowers, or at the base
of a tree. These are good places to bait
because little fire ants like to forage and nest
on or around plants. Also, they don?t like
direct sun, so if the stick is fully exposed on a
sunny day, the ants won?t come to the peanut
butter. In that case, your conclusion would be
that there are no little fire ants at the location,
when they may really be there!!

5) Place the next stick in a similar location,

about 15 feet away from the first stick. Do
the same until all six sticks are on the ground.
We generally put sticks 15 feet apart because
these ants move slowly and don?t travel far,
so you have to have several sticks in a small
area if you want to detect a small population.
However, if you choose to survey, for in-
stance, in a recently landscaped area that is
mostly lawn, with a few bushes spread far
apart, you could also place one stick under
each bush.

6) Let the sticks sit undisturbed (do not touch

them!) for one or two hours. It?s also impor-
tant not to put your face close to the sticks
during this time (like leaning over

Before You Begin?READ THIS!

If you are allergic, or suspect you may be aller-
gic, to bee or wasp stings, please ask for help
from your parents or friends. If you cannot get
help, do not do this activity.

Do not wear loose clothing, slippers, or a
watch. The ants can get trapped and caught in
this attire. Wear clothing with short sleeves,
closed-toe shoes, and no watch or bracelet.

Decide beforehand where you will place your
baited chopsticks. Good places for sampling
ants are beneath trees and shrubs, in or under
potted outdoor plants, near garbage cans or
buildings, or where you have seen ants
before.

All locations are good to survey, but the best
include those in the vicinity of current land-
scaping projects or ones that have been
completed in the past five or six years. Land-
scaping projects often take place around
parks, schools, resorts, shopping centers, and
other new public facilities.

If you want to go onto private property, be
sure to obtain permission from the landowner
first.

Procedure

1) Take three chopsticks and break them in half,

so you have six sticks, each about four inches
long. Then, if you think you?ll have trouble
finding the sticks after you?ve put them out,
use paint or a magic marker to make one half
of each stick bright orange. That way, you
will be able to easily find them again in the
field.

2) Take the following to the survey location:

The six pieces of painted chopstick, a cup

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Words to the Wise

Remember, little fire ants move pretty
slowly. So it is easy to avoid getting stung
by this species. However, another ant that
we have in Hawai�i, Solenopsis geminata,
also stings, and tends to move very quickly
when disturbed, so be careful. If you have
very fast ants running on your stick, and you
fear they might get on you, don?t pick it up
with bare hands. Instead, use tongs or gloves
to pick up the stick, or simply leave the stick
alone. Chances are, if the ants are running
fast, they are not the little fire ant.

Also remember, little fire ants often stand
relatively still, or simply fall off the bait stick
when you disturb it (like when you pick it
up). So again, be careful. If you pick up one
of your sticks and see tiny little ants (which
may just look like little specks) dropping off,
you may have found the little fire ant!!

trying to see if you have any ants)
because many ants will run away if you
breathe on them. It is best to just leave the
area and go do something else for an hour or
two, then come back.

7) After the sticks have been out for one or two

hours, it is time to collect your specimens!
The first thing to do is to fill out labels for
your specimens. Use PENCIL (Don?t use
regular pens! The ink will run and the infor-
mation will not be readable!).
On each specimen label, write the following
information:
?

Location of survey site - Use as much
detail as possible, so that someone else
reading the label could find the location.
Be sure to include the name of the town,
because not all people know, for instance,
that Olinda Rd. is in Makawao.
Example 1: 535 Olinda Road, Makawao,
in garden at makai end of front yard
Example 2: Maui Community College,
Kahului, along the side of the library
building that is facing Ka�ahumanu
Avenue

Date (month, day, year) and start time
of survey - Example 1: May 1,
2000,1:00 p.m.; Example 2: April 30,
2000, 10 a.m.).

Your name

Your teacher?s name

The name of your school

Put a label inside each of your plastic bags.

8) Go to your first stick and CAREFULLY pick

it up and drop it in your bag, then quickly
seal the bag. Don?t try to examine your ants
while holding the stick! Some ants will
frantically run about on the stick, and even
onto YOU if you hold the stick. There are
other stinging ants in Hawai�i besides the
little fire ant, so you don?t want to let any ants
run onto you.

Also, don?t open the bag again after you?ve
sealed it. Use a new bag for each stick, so
there is no chance of ants escaping from a
previously sealed bag.

9) After all your sticks are collected and sealed

in their plastic bags with their labels, take the
bags back to school, or home, and put them in
the freezer for a couple hours. This will kill
the ants, allowing you to examine them
closely.

Bring your ants to school with you on the
day that your class will do its identification
lab.

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10) Take your ants out of the freezer

and use the keys that your teacher will give
you to determine if any of the ants you
collected are little fire ants. If you are not
sure about any of your specimens, ask your
teacher for help. If you still cannot determine
whether or not you have any little fire ants,
give the specimen you are unsure about AND
ITS LABEL(!) to your teacher so he/she can
give it to a professional biologist to identify.
The biologist will notify your teacher if
you?ve found little fire ants.

11) If you?ve identified any of your specimens as

little fire ants, have your teacher give them to
a professional biologist for verification. The
biologist will notify your teacher if you?ve
indeed located a little fire ant.

Didn?t find little fire ants?

Don?t be disappointed!

Because ?alien? (nonnative) little fire ants in
Hawai�i are threats to our unique environ-
ment, we hope we do not find them here on
Maui! Whether you found little fire ants or
not, the information you have gathered is
very important. You have contributed scien-
tific data to an important conservation biol-
ogy project. Thank you for your assistance!

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Finding the Little Fire Ant

Specimen Identification Label

Location (detailed description):

Date (month, day, year) and start time of

survey:

Your name:

Your teacher?s name:

Your school:

Finding the Little Fire Ant

Specimen Identification Label

Location (detailed description):

Date (month, day, year) and start time of

survey:

Your name:

Your teacher?s name:

Your school:

Finding the Little Fire Ant

Specimen Identification Label

Location (detailed description):

Date (month, day, year) and start time of

survey:

Your name:

Your teacher?s name:

Your school:

Finding the Little Fire Ant

Specimen Identification Label

Location (detailed description):

Date (month, day, year) and start time of

survey:

Your name:

Your teacher?s name:

Your school:

Specimen Labels

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Wasmannia

Wasmannia Identification Key

Identification Key

Antenna

Head

Thorax

1 2 3

Node

Gaster

1=Pronotum
2=Mesonotum
3=Propodeum

= Thorax

Thorax

Propodeal Spine

Nodes

Gaster

NOTE:
This ant has:
1. One node between thorax and gaster
2. Smooth propodeum (i.e., no spines)

NOTE:
This ant has:
1. Two nodes between thorax and gaster
2. Pair of spines on propodeum (only

one is visible in the diagram)

Wasmannia auropunctata

Illustrations: Top and bottom?M. R. Smith, ?A generic and subgeneric synopsis of the United States ants, based on the
workers (Hymenoptera: Formicidae),? American Midland Naturalist, Vol. 37, No. 3, pp. 521-647; Middle?CSIRO Entomology,
reprinted in Bert Holldobler and Edward O. Wilson, The Ants, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1990.

Antennal Scrobe
(a groove into
which the
antenna can be
folded)

Propodeal Spine

Nodes

Introduction to Ant Anatomy

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One node on

waist between

thorax and gaster

Two nodes on

waist between

thorax and gaster

Wasmannia Auropunctata Key

NOT Wasmannia

auropunctata

Body (not including

antennae) is greater than

2 mm in length

Tiny, body less

than 2 mm in

length

NOT Wasmannia

auropunctata

Ant is all dark

black or dark

brown color

Ant is not a dark

black or dark

brown color

NOT Wasmannia

auropunctata

Ant is bicolored. Bicolored ants may have:
?

legs a different color than the body

gaster a different color than the rest of
the body

solid color body with dark black or
brown spot on the gaster

NOT Wasmannia

auropunctata

Ant is all one

color (yellow, red,

orange, light

brown)

Propodeum is

smooth, no spines

present

Propodeum with

a distinct pair of

spines present

NOT Wasmannia

auropunctata

Note: Propodeal spines may be

difficult to see with a hand lens but are
easy to see with a microscope. And the
antennal scrobe is sometimes difficult to
distinguish. So if you get to one of these
two steps and are not certain about what
you are seeing, ask your teacher for help.
If you are still uncertain, your teacher will
give the specimen to a professional

biologist.

Antennal scrobe
(groove) absent,

propodeal spines

relatively short

and stumpy

Antennal scrobe

present,

propodeal spines

relatively long

and pointy

NOT Wasmannia auropunctata

This ant is Tetramorium simillimum.

THIS ANT IS Wasmannia

auropunctata.

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Little Fire Ant

Little Fire Ant Quiz

Quiz

1) Why are some ant species known as ?tramp ants??

2) Describe one threat the little fire ant could pose to native ecosystems and species on Maui. Explain

why you think this impact would matter.

3) Describe one threat the little fire ant could pose to humans and domestic animals. Explain why

you think this impact would matter.

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4) How are people trying to prevent the little fire ant from getting to Maui on agriculture and nursery

items?

5) Why is it important to know as soon as possible if the little fire ant is now on Maui?

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Activity #2

Red Imported Fire Ant

Prevention & Quick Response

Plan

In Advance Research Preparation and Student Reading

Student research may go more quickly if you look through the ?Research Resources? listing in the
Student Page ?RIFA Prevention and Quick Response Plan? (p. 31-33). Place an interlibrary loan
order for some of the books and journal articles listed there, and put them on reserve in your
school library or make them available in your classroom.

Assign the Student Page ?Endangered Water Birds Threatened by . . . Ants?!?? (pp. 27-30)

Class Period One Team Research Projects
Materials & Setup

Available in the classroom or on reserve in the library
?

One or more copies of the ?Resource Packet on Red Imported Fire Ants? (included as an appendix
to this unit)

For each student
?

Student Page ?Endangered Water Birds Threatened by . . . Ants?!?? (pp. 27-30)

Student Page ?RIFA Prevention and Quick Response Plan? (pp. 31-33)

Instructions

1) Divide the class into teams of four to eight students. Hand out the Student Page ?RIFA Prevention

and Quick Response Plan.? Each team will be responsible for developing a plan for the island of
Maui. The plan?s purpose is to prevent the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) from becom-
ing established on Maui as well as to respond rapidly to control the ants? spread if it is discovered
on the island. Students will be researching and developing their plans during this class period, on
their own time, and during the second class period.

2) To jump-start students? thinking, start the class off by reviewing the main points from the reading.

Before the teams start their work, brainstorm a list of ideas with the whole class.
One question to brainstorm about is: ?Where is the red imported fire ant most likely to be intro-
duced to Maui?? Brainstorming places where entry is likely will help students thing about how to
target prevention and monitoring efforts.

???

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Research may be done on the Internet, in local college libraries, and through interlibrary loan.
See also the ?Resource Packet? included as an appendix to this unit, which consists of pages
downloaded from various Internet sites listed in the Student Page ?RIFA Prevention and Quick
Response Plan.? Students may want to check the webpages themselves for updated information.
Each team will produce an outline and rationale for its plan. Use the Student Page ?RIFA Pre-
vention and Quick Response Plan? as a guide. As the group works together, each student should
take responsibility for doing a particular aspect of the research so that the work?and the learn-
ing?gets spread around. Use the four elements of the plan listed on the student page (p. 31) to
divide responsibility. For groups of more than four students, have pairs of students work together.

Note

Allow several days between class periods one and two to allow teams time to work on their research
and plans.

Class Period Two Research Team Meetings

1) Allow student research teams to meet to finalize their plans and to prepare for their in-class pre-

sentations.

Class Period Three Team Presentations

1) Student teams make five- to ten-minute presentations of their plans to the class.

Journal Ideas

How can you help spread the word about the threat of fire ants? What do other people need to
know?

How big of a threat do you think red imported fire ants are to Maui native ecosystems, including
wetlands? Explain your reasoning.

Assessment Tools

Prevention and Quick Response Plans (see the Student Page ?RIFA Prevention and Quick Re-
sponse Plan? for a list of elements that will help you evaluate the plans)

Team presentations

???

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STUDENT P

Endangered Water Birds

Threatened by . . . Ants?!?

In 1992, Ke�lia Pond National Wildlife Refuge
was created from land donated to the government
by the Alexander & Baldwin company. A primary
purpose of the refuge is to protect habitat for
three endangered Hawaiian water bird species:
the ae�o (Hawaiian black-necked stilt), �alae
ke�oke�o (Hawaiian coot), koloa (Hawaiian
duck).
These endangered species?and other native
water birds?breed, nest, raise their young, and
reside year round in wetland areas like Ke�lia
Pond, scattered around
the islands. All together,
eight native species of
water birds rely on
wetlands, including the
ones listed above and the
Hawaiian gallinule or
moorhen, Laysan duck,
pied-billed grebe, fulvous
whistling duck, and
black-crowned night
heron.
In the fall and winter,
Ke�lia Pond and other
Hawaiian wetlands come
to life with an influx of
migratory birds that head
south from colder climes.
Pintail ducks, Canada
geese, sanderlings, and
plovers (including the k�lea) join some 90 other
species of water birds and an occasional gull or
osprey blown in by winter storms.
But scientists predict the refuge won?t be such a
lively place if the red imported fire ant
(Solenopsis invicta) gets to the Hawaiian Islands.
And it?s the native species that nest here that are
likely to be hardest hit.

Invicta Means Invincible

Solenopsis invicta was so named by Dr. Will-
iam Buren in 1972. The meaning of the Latin
?invicta? is ?invincible,? which is an accurate
description of the red imported fire ant. The red
imported fire ant (or RIFA, as you?ll see in much
of the nonscientific literature about these ants) is
a particularly aggressive invader, even overrun-
ning areas that were once inhabited by another
aggressive fire ant species, Solenopsis geminata.

RIFA colonies are extremely dense and grow
rapidly, compared to other ant species. Individual
colonies consist of hundreds of thousands of ants,
and there can be 1500-3000 worker ants per
square meter in infested areas. Imagine an eighth
of a cup of rice grains running around in your
bathtub and you get the picture. The red imported
fire ant is aggressive, territorial, and predatory?
with a powerful sting that makes it a danger to
most animals.

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Ae�o in a pond

(Photo: Eric Nishibayashi)

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Some ant species run away when their nest is
disturbed or the object they are on moves. Not so
for Solenopsis invicta. Thousands of these ants
will swarm on and relentlessly sting anything that
is unfortunate enough to disturb their colony. One
researcher was stung over 250 times on one leg

within ten seconds of inadvertently disturbing a
nest. These ants are quick, each one can sting
repeatedly, and the sting is exceptionally painful,
usually turning into a white pustule by the fol-
lowing day.
The red imported fire ant is an opportunistic
feeder, taking advantage of whatever food source
is at hand. They actively prey on invertebrates,
vertebrates, and plants. Any animal that is rela-
tively immobile and unable to run away from
attacking ants is susceptible to RIFA predatory
attacks. These ants are documented to have
preyed upon a whole range of animals including
birds, lizards, turtles, small mammals, and inver-
tebrates. Human deaths have also been reported
among individuals who are hypersensitive to S.
invicta venom or who were bedridden and immo-
bile.
Nestlings and ?pipped? eggs (which have just
started to hatch and have a hole broken in them),
especially of ground-nesting birds, turtles, and
lizards, are particularly vulnerable to predation. If
Solenopsis invicta makes it to the islands, that
fact could spell trouble for Hawaiian wetland
birds.

Solenopsis Invicta in Wetlands

The red imported fire ant is well adapted to
wetland conditions. It is believed to be native to
southern Brazil, in a region where seasonal
flooding is the norm. RIFA is able to thrive in
seasonally flooded habitats where other ant
species are absent.

Solenopsis invicta = red imported fire ant = RIFA

Solenopsis invicta was unintentionally brought
to Mobile, Alabama in the 1930s, probably in soil
used as ship ballast. Since that time, it has in-
vaded over 300 million acres in the United States,
primarily in southeastern states. Since the red
imported fire ant has been around the continental

U.S. for decades, scientists
have had plenty of time to
study the ants? effect on
wildlife. Studies in wet-
lands have reported:

Water bird breeding success declines in areas
inhabited by S. invicta. RIFA attack and prey
upon pipped eggs and nestlings of several
species of ground- and shrub-nesting birds
including egrets, herons, spoonbills, cormo-
rants, and gulls. There was a 92 percent
overall reduction in water bird reproduction
during the part of the breeding season stud-
ied. During one month, hatchling mortality
was 100 percent in RIFA-infested areas,
compared to 0 percent in non-infested areas
(Drees).

S. invicta attacks the nestlings of wood ducks
and is thought to exclude wood ducks from
natural cavity nest sites. In one study, RIFA
destroyed 15 percent of clutches in wood
duck nest boxes (Ridlehuber).

In RIFA-infested areas, chick mortality
among endangered least terns is 27 percent
higher than in noninfested areas (Lockly).
Least terns nest on the ground.

In Hawai�i, wetland habitat is extremely rare,
comprising only about three percent of the
islands? total land area. Degradation and loss of
habitat have been primary contributors to the
decline of native water birds. Invasion by red
imported fire ants would undoubtedly cause
further habitat degradation?a loss that species
whose populations number as few as 1500 birds
(in the case of the ae�o) may not be able to
withstand.

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Other Fire Ant Concerns

Protecting endangered water birds is not the
only reason people want to keep the red imported
fire ant away from Hawai�i. They are also con-
cerned about what could happen to our quality of
life and the future of the tourism industry if S.
invicta establishes itself here. In some places it
has invaded, it is impossible to sit in the grass or
stand on a shoreline to fish without being stung.
Hunting, ranching, and outdoor recreational
activities can be affected by the presence of this
ant. And, once it is established, the red imported
fire ant has proven impossible to eradicate. In
many places, control programs have reduced ant
populations to bearable levels with repeated use
of chemical pesticides. However, this approach
works only for limited areas, and there are
concerns about the threats widespread use of
these toxicants would pose to water quality and
the overall health of ecosystems such as wet-
lands.
In the 13 states and Puerto Rico where RIFA
is found, it has been reported in virtually every
crop. Because of its opportunistic feeding habits,
including a predilection for seeds of all kinds, S.
invicta has the potential to cause great damage to
crops. It has also been known to cause damage to
irrigation systems and cut down on the efficiency
of agricultural operations as pickers and equip-
ment operators adjust their work to avoid disturb-
ing or running over nests.
Red imported fire ants also infest electrical
equipment, chewing on insulation and causing
short circuits or interfering with switching
mechanisms. They sometimes nest in buildings
and commonly nest in home gardens, landscaped
areas, and nursery stock.
Some people point out that RIFA can have
benefits, too. Researchers have found that RIFA
can be beneficial in sugar cane and cotton fields
where they prey upon pest species. And
Solenopsis invicta predation may help control
flea and tick populations. However, in a place

such as Hawai�i, where native plants and animals
evolved with no ant predators whatsoever and
where working and playing outdoors is so impor-
tant, it is difficult to conclude that the benefits of
the red imported fire ants would outweigh the
long list of negative consequences of its arrival
here.

In 1998, the red imported fire ant was found in
California. Since then, infestations have been
discovered in several counties. Around the state,
people are scrambling to determine the best way
to minimize the impact of this species. Now that
RIFA has gained a foothold in California, some
people believe it is just a matter of time before
these ants make it to Hawai�i. With the large
volume of goods shipped back and forth between
Hawai�i and California, as well as the numbers of
people who use California as a departure point
for their air travels to the islands, the ants may
have plenty of opportunities to hitch a ride over.
The state Department of Agriculture does have
a quarantine and inspection policy for products
such as nursery stock shipped to Hawai�i from
infested areas. But S. invicta has successfully
worked its way across the continental United
States, despite the existence of a federal quaran-
tine policy begun in 1958. Many researchers,
agricultural operators, and resource managers

photo of agricultural operations

3 of 4

RIFA can be a threat to agricultural

operations (Photo: Carol Gentz)

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STUDENT P

believe it will take much more than agricultural
quarantine to protect Maui and the other Hawai-
ian Islands from this invader.
Joining forces as the ?Ant Working Group,?
they have begun putting together a prevention
plan as well as a contingency plan for detecting
and limiting the spread of red imported fire ants
if they should arrive on the islands. Here are a
few of their ideas for preventing RIFA from
arriving on Maui:
1) Chemically treat goods before they are

shipped from RIFA-infested areas.

2) Give Hawaii Department of Agriculture

inspectors the authority to inspect non-
agricultural items such as building materials.

3) Establish regular state reviews of first class

mail from the mainland, looking for suspi-
cious packages and then applying for federal
warrants to inspect these packages.

Can you think of other ideas for preventing this
dangerous invader from arriving on Maui?or for
quickly responding to stop its spread once it gets
here? Your idea could be one that ultimately
protects Maui?especially its wetland areas?
from the ?invincible? Solenopsis invicta.

Sources

California Department of Food and Agriculture,
?Red Imported Fire Ant Information? at
<pi.cdfa.ca.gov/rifa/newfact.htm>, June 26, 2000.

Drees, B., ?Red Imported Fire Ant Predation on
Nestlings of Colonial Waterbirds,? Southwest
Entomology, No. 19, 1994, pp. 355-359.

Ducks Unlimited, Inc. ?Hawaiian Islands Wet-
lands Conservation Plan.?

Lockly, T., ?Effect of Imported Fire Ant Preda-
tion on a Population of the Least Tern ? An
Endangered Species,? Southwest Entomology,
No. 20, 1995, pp. 517-519.

Ridlehuber, K, ?Fire Ant Predation on Wood
Duck Ducklings and Pipped Eggs,? Southwest.
Natur., No. 27, 1982, p. 222.

Tanji, Edwin, ?Maui Wants Refuge Enlarged;
Kealia Pond Important to Wildlife, Near-Shore
Reefs,? The Honolulu Advertiser, January 20,
1997.

VanGelder, Ellen, ?HNIS Report on Solenopsis
invicta? at <www.hear.org/hnis/
index.html#HNISreportsavailable>.

_________, Personal communication and unpub-
lished work plan for Proactive Protection of
Hawaii?s Wetlands and Other Ecosystems from
the Red Imported Fire Ant project, June 2000.

Vinson, S. ?Impact of the Invasion of Solenopsis
invicta on Native Food Webs,?in D. Williams
(ed.), Exotic Ants: Biology, Impact, and Control
of Introduced Species, Westview Press, Boulder,
Colorado, 1994, pp. 241-258.

Weaver-Missick, T., ?The Fire Ant Saga Contin-
ues,? Agricultural Research, September 1999.

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STUDENT P

RIFA Prevention and Quick

Response Plan

Your team?s assignment is to work together to
develop a ?Prevention and Quick Response Plan?
for the red imported fire ant on Maui. You will
present an outline and rationale for the plan to the
class when you are finished. You may even want
to pass some of your ideas along to the Maui Ant
Working Group, a collaboration involving scien-
tists and resource managers from around the
island.

Goals

Like your team, the Maui Ant Working Group
aims to:
1) Prevent the arrival of the red imported fire ant

on Maui,

2) Monitor for its presence to detect it before it

is well established, and

3) Respond rapidly and effectively to contain the

spread of the red imported fire ant if it is
found on Maui.

Research

Your plan needs to be backed up with factual
information and a clear explanation of what each
component is designed to accomplish. You will
need to do some research in order to develop
your plan. Your teacher has a collection of re-
sources available for classroom use, and there are
many other sources available through public and
university libraries as well as on the Internet. See
the ?Research Resources? section of this student
page for a beginning list of research leads.
Keywords for Internet searches include:
?

red imported fire ant

Solenopsis invicta

If you use the following search terms, double-
check to make sure the information you retrieve
is about S. invicta and not another ant species:
?

fire ant

pest ants

pest ant control

Outlining a Plan

Divide up responsibility for developing your
plan among team members. Make sure everyone
is responsible for part of the plan. Your plan
should include the following elements:
1) A description of the problem, including

potential threats to ecosystems and humans
based on the problems encountered in other
states;

2) A plan to prevent the ant?s arrival;
3) A plan to monitor for its presence and detect

it before it is well established; and

4) A plan to respond rapidly and contain the ant

if it invades.

Support each element of the plan with:
1) A description of your reasoning for this part

of the plan and factual information that
supports your plan;

2) Ideas about whom should be involved in

implementing this part of the plan; and

3) Suggestions for containing costs (e.g., by

forming creative partnerships, raising money
locally, getting time and resources donated to
the project, or involving students and other
people who are not normally involved in
work like this).

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STUDENT P

Starting Points

Here are some of the questions being asked by
Maui Ant Working Group members as they
consider what their plan will be. Use these
questions as a starting point for your own
thinking.
?

What kind of information should Maui
residents and visitors have about RIFA? What
are the best ways to get that information to
them? How can we get residents and visitors
to pay attention to this threat?

What is the basic ecology of RIFA?includ-
ing its colony structure, how it reproduces,
what makes it such a successful invader,
suitable habitats, etc.? These characteristics
affect how and how easily they may become
established, how quickly they can spread,
where they are likely to invade, and what
kinds of controls are likely to work.

Where is RIFA most likely to be introduced
to Maui? In theory, it takes only one mated
queen to establish a new colony, although
there may be a much greater chance of
survival if a whole or partial nest is moved.
That is one reason nursery stock receives so
much scrutiny, since ants and even nests can
be moved in the soil they are shipped with. If
RIFA came to Maui in nursery stock, where
could it become established? What about
other vehicles such as containers in which
fruits or vegetables, soil, and other agricul-
tural products are shipped? Airports? Cars
being shipped from infested areas? Shipments
of lumber and furniture? Where else might
RIFA stow away?

How does the current Hawai�i and Federal
RIFA quarantine system work? Has anything
different been tried in other states or coun-
tries?

What are the likely impacts/effects of the
RIFA, should it ever become established on
Maui or the Hawaiian Islands? Are there
certain parts of the island or certain ecosys-
tems that seem particularly threatened and of
high priority for protection?

What control mechanisms are currently being
used and recommended in infested areas?
What experiments are being tried with new
methods such as ?biocontrol? (using other
insects or diseases to control populations of
pest species such as the RIFA)?

What kinds of permits would be needed to
use some of the pesticides being used in other
states, here on Maui in the places that are
most likely to need protection? Should we be
stockpiling pesticides so we can quickly
respond if RIFA is found here?

2 of 3

Fire Ants and the Future of Maui Wetlands

? H��ike o Haleakal� 33

Coastal Unit 4

Activity #2

123456

STUDENT P

3 of 3

Research Resources

Texas A&M University, Department of Entomology, ?Imported Fire
Ant? at <fireant.tamu.edu>.

VanGelder, Ellen, ?Hawai�i Non-Indigenous Invasive Species (HNIS)
Report on Solenopsis invicta? at <www.hear.org/hnis/
index.html#HNISreportsavailable>.

California Department of Food and Agriculture, ?Red Imported Fire
Ant Information? at <pi.cdfa.ca.gov/rifa/newfact.htm>.

University of Arkansas, Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, ?Red
Imported Fire Ant? at <www.arnatural.org/fireants/default.asp>.

Lockley, T. C., University of Minnesota Integrated Pest Management
Program, ?Imported Fire Ants? at <ipmworld.umn.edu/chapters/
lockley.htm>.

County of Los Angeles, Agricultural Commissioner/Weights &
Measures, ?Red Imported Fire Ant? at <acwm.co.la.ca.us/scripts/
RIFA.htm>.

National Park Service, ?National Park Service Integrated Pest Manage-
ment Manual?Fire Ants? at <www.colostate.edu/Depts/IPM/
natparks/fireants.html>.

Includes a brief section on monitoring

Vinson, S., ?Impact of the Invasion of Solenopsis Invicta on Native Food
Webs,?in D. Williams, (ed.), Exotic Ants: Biology, Impact, and Control of
Introduced Species, Westview Press, Boulder, Colorado, 1994, pp. 241-
258.

Drees, B., ?Red Imported Fire Ant Predation on Nestlings of Colonial
Waterbirds,? Southwest Entomology, No. 19, 1994, pp. 355-359.

Lockly, T., ?Effect of Imported Fire Ant Predation on a Population of
the Least Tern ? An Endangered Species,? Southwest Entomology,
No. 20, 1995, pp. 517-519.

Ridlehuber, K., ?Fire Ant Predation on Wood Duck Ducklings and
Pipped Eggs,? Southwest. Natur., No. 27, 1982, p. 222.

Weaver-Missick, T., ?The Fire Ant Saga Continues,? Agricultural
Research, September 1999.

Moulis, R., ?Predation by the Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta) on
Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta) Nests on Wassaw National
Wildlife Refuge, Georgia,? Chelonian Conservation Biology, No. 2, 1996,
pp. 433-436.

Tschinkel, W., ?The Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta): Still Unvanquished,?
in B. McKnight, (ed.), Biological Pollution: The Control and Impact of
Invasive Exotic Species, Indiana Academy of Science, Indianapolis, 1993,
pp. 121-136.

General

Information

RIF

ecology

Contr

methods

Quarantine

Impacts of

RIF

? ? ? ? ?

? ? ? ?

? ?

Fire Ants and the Future of Maui Wetlands

? H��ike o Haleakal� 35

Activity #3
Coastal Unit 4

Activity #3

Race to the Wetlands Game

Class Period One Race to the Wetlands Game
Materials & Setup

For each group of six to eight students
?

One die

?Race to the Wetlands Game Board? (included with this curriculum)

?Race to the Wetlands Instruction Card? (master, p. 36)

?Race to the Wetlands Game Cards? (master, pp. 37-61)

Six to eight player pieces (master, p. 62)

Six to eight pennies

Instructions

1) Divide students into groups of six to eight. Conduct the game. Use the game materials provided

with the curriculum and the instruction card. This game is based on the ant collection activity and
student reading assignments. Students will be ?tested? on what they have read as well as learn new
facts.

Journal Ideas

Compare the game version of the race between ants and humans to the real-life efforts that people
are making to prevent the arrival and establishment of red imported fire ants on Maui.

Assessment Tools

Participation in the game

???

Fire Ants and the Future of Maui Wetlands

? H��ike o Haleakal� 36

Activity #3
Coastal Unit 4
Game Card Master

Race to the Wetlands

Instruction Card

Object of the Game

In this game, you are either a red imported fire ant or a human. The object is for all members of either
species to get to Ke�lia Pond first. If all the people get to Ke�lia Pond first, they win and can stop the
ants from threatening the native wildlife there. If all the ants get there first, they win and establish a
population too large and too widespread for people to eradicate.

Rules

? Out of six to eight players, half are ants and half are people. Roll the die to determine who goes first,
and proceed in a clockwise direction.

? Move your player pieces by the roll of the die, answering questions, and/or following instructions
given on the game cards.

? Each player rolls the die only once per turn and draws only one card per turn.

? Keep each type of card in a separate pile. Once you have used a game card, put it on the bottom of
the pile it was drawn from.

? When you land on a space, follow the symbol. Here?s what happens:

= Hazards and Opportunities

Another player draws a card and reads you the
instructions on it. Follow them.

= Red Imported Fire Ants

= Prevention and Control

= General Knowledge

= Little Fire Ants

Another player draws a card and reads the ques-
tion on it. You answer the question.
Movement
Correct answer = Move forward 3 spaces.
Incorrect answer = Move back 1 space.

= Cooperation Opportunity

Work together with your teammates (fellow ants
or humans) to answer two questions from your
choice of the four question categories

(

Movement
Answer both questions correctly = Each player
on the team moves forward 3 spaces from where
they are.
Get 1 answer wrong = Each player on the team
moves backward 3 spaces from where they are.

To Win

Each player who reaches Ke�lia Pond (the endpoint of the game board) can help their team members
(ants or people) answer questions until either all the ants are at the pond or all the people are at the
pond. The first team with all members at Ke�lia Pond wins, and the game ends.

Fire Ants and the Future of Maui Wetlands

? H��ike o Haleakal� 41

Activity #3
Coastal Unit 4
Game Card Master

Race to the Wetlands Game Cards (cut solid lines, fold on dashed lines)

True or false? Red imported fire ants have
been discovered on Maui, in an area near
Ke�lia Pond National Wildlife Refuge.

False

True or false? Human deaths have never been
associated with RIFA attacks.

False?individuals who are hypersensitive to
Solenopsis invicta venom and bedridden,
immobile individuals have died as a result of
attacks.

Why are nestlings and pipped eggs of ground-
nesting birds, turtles, and lizards especially
vulnerable to RIFA predation?

They are relatively immobile and unable to
run away from attacking ants. Also, they are
on the ground, where foraging ants are more
likely to find them.

In what part of the world is the red imported
fire ant native?
1) Central America and the northern regions

of South America

2) Southeast Asia
3) Southern Brazil
4) Portugal

(3)

Red Imported Fir

e Ants

Red Imported Fir

e Ants

Red Imported Fir

e Ants

Red Imported Fir

e Ants

Fire Ants and the Future of Maui Wetlands

? H��ike o Haleakal� 42

Activity #3
Coastal Unit 4
Game Card Master

Race to the Wetlands Game Cards (cut solid lines, fold on dashed lines)

Red Imported Fir

e Ants

Red Imported Fir

e Ants

Red Imported Fir

e Ants

Red Imported Fir

e Ants

How was the red imported fire ant originally
brought to the United States?
1) As part of an ant farm science fair

project

2) In soil used as ship ballast
3) As a biological control agent for the

potato bud worm

(2)

True or false? Red imported fire ants do not
pose a threat to populations of water birds
such as ducks, egrets, and coots, because
these birds can easily fly or swim away from
the ants.

False?nestlings and pipped eggs are vulner-
able to predation. They cannot easily escape
attacking ants.

True or false? The red imported fire ant is
widespread in every state in the U.S. except
Alaska and Hawai�i.

False?RIFA is found in 13 states and Puerto
Rico.

Red imported fire ants can have benefits for
agriculture, including:
1) Preying upon pest species in sugar cane and

cotton fields

2) Preventing birds from damaging crops
3) Helping control flea and tick populations
4) A and C

(4)

Fire Ants and the Future of Maui Wetlands

? H��ike o Haleakal� 43

Activity #3
Coastal Unit 4
Game Card Master

Race to the Wetlands Game Cards (cut solid lines, fold on dashed lines)

Red Imported Fir

e Ants

Red Imported Fir

e Ants

True or false? In some places where the red
imported fire ant has invaded, it is impossible
to sit in the grass or stand on a shoreline to
fish without getting stung.

True

True or false? It is possible to eradicate
established populations of red imported fire
ants by burning their colonies.

False?once the red imported fire ant has
become well-established, it has proven
impossible to eradicate.

True or false? In many places, control pro-
grams have reduced ant populations to bear-
able levels with repeated use of chemical
pesticides.

True

Name one concern people have about using
chemical pesticides to control RIFA.

Any of the following are correct:
? The pesticides only control the populations,
and don?t eradicate the ant.
? Chemical pesticides work only in limited
areas.
? Widespread use of these pesticides would pose
a threat to water quality and the overall health
of ecosystems such as wetlands.

Red Imported Fir

e Ants

Red Imported Fir

e Ants

Fire Ants and the Future of Maui Wetlands

? H��ike o Haleakal� 44

Activity #3
Coastal Unit 4
Game Card Master

Race to the Wetlands Game Cards (cut solid lines, fold on dashed lines)

Red Imported Fir

e Ants

Red Imported Fir

e Ants

Red Imported Fir

e Ants

Red Imported Fir

e Ants

True or false? Electrical equipment is gener-
ally safe from red imported fire ants infesta-
tion because of the danger of electrocution.

False?red imported fire ants chew on
insulation and cause short circuits, and
interfere with switching mechanisms.

True or false? Red imported fire ants
thrive in seasonally flooded areas.

True

True or false? Most ant species are
adapted to live in seasonally flooded
areas such as wetlands.

False

In 1998, RIFA was discovered in Califor-
nia. Now that the ant has gained a foothold
in California, why do many people believe
it is just a matter of time before these ants
make it to Hawai�i?

So many goods and people come to
Hawai�i from California. There are plenty
of opportunities for the ants to hitch a ride.

Fire Ants and the Future of Maui Wetlands

? H��ike o Haleakal� 45

Activity #3
Coastal Unit 4
Game Card Master

Race to the Wetlands Game Cards (cut solid lines, fold on dashed lines)

Red Imported Fir

e Ants

Red Imported Fir

e Ants

Red Imported Fir

e Ants

Red Imported Fir

e Ants

True or false? Red imported fire ants have
successfully worked their way across 300
million acres in the southern continental
United States despite the existence of a
federal quarantine policy begun in 1958.

True

True or false? Since the agriculture quaran-
tine is likely to keep the red imported fires
ants out of Hawai�i, the Hawai�i Ant Working
Group is not making any contingency plans
to deal with the possible establishment of
RIFA on the islands.

False

True or false? Birds that nest off the ground
are safe from red imported fire ant predation.

False?one study, for example, found that red
imported fire ants prey on wood duck nest-
lings. These birds nest in tree cavities and
nesting boxes mounted on posts.

True or false? If some wetlands in Hawai�i are
invaded by red imported fire ants, there would
probably still be plenty of wetlands areas left
to support endangered birds such as the ae�o
since wetlands cover about 20 percent of the
land area of the islands.

False

Fire Ants and the Future of Maui Wetlands

? H��ike o Haleakal� 47

Activity #3
Coastal Unit 4
Game Card Master

Race to the Wetlands Game Cards (cut solid lines, fold on dashed lines)

Prev

ention & Control

Prev

ention & Control

Prev

ention & Control

Prev

ention & Control

True or false? Since red imported fire ants
nest in the ground, imported goods that
contain soil (such as nursery stock, potted
plants, construction equipment that is not
cleaned of soil, and residual soil in shipping
containers) are the highest risk goods for
transporting RIFA to Maui.

True

True or false? It?s important to monitor all
goods coming in by sea for the presence of red
imported fire ants, but air cargo is of no con-
cern.

False?RIFA could arrive along with goods
shipped in any manner from infested areas.

True or false? Shipments via first-class mail
and private couriers such as UPS and Federal
Express shipped from infested areas are all
inspected for the presence of RIFA.

False

True or false? Building materials and other
nonagricultural items are regularly inspected
or treated for RIFA before being released for
distribution in Hawai�i.

False?soil and agricultural products are
regularly inspected or treated, but nonagricul-
tural items usually are not.

Fire Ants and the Future of Maui Wetlands

? H��ike o Haleakal� 48

Activity #3
Coastal Unit 4
Game Card Master

Race to the Wetlands Game Cards (cut solid lines, fold on dashed lines)

Prev

ention & Control

Prev

ention & Control

Prev

ention & Control

Prev

ention & Control

True or false? The Hawai�i Department of
Agriculture inspects all potted plants
shipped to Hawai�i from RIFA-infested
areas.

True

The Hawai�i Ant Working Group is considering several
different ways of preventing the arrival of RIFA on
Maui. Name one that you read about:

Any of the following is correct:
1) Chemically treat goods before they are shipped from
RIFA-infested areas.
2) Give Hawai�i Department of Agriculture inspectors
the authority to inspect nonagricultural items such as
building materials.
3) Establish regular state reviews of first-class mail from
the mainland, looking for suspicious packages and then
applying for federal warrants to inspect these packages.

True or false? So far, Spam has been found
to be the best bait for attracting red im-
ported fire ants.

True

True or false? The state has enough entomolo-
gists on staff to adequately survey high-risk
areas such as construction sites, recently
landscaped sites, and areas surrounding ports
and cargo warehouses.

False

Fire Ants and the Future of Maui Wetlands

? H��ike o Haleakal� 49

Activity #3
Coastal Unit 4
Game Card Master

Race to the Wetlands Game Cards (cut solid lines, fold on dashed lines)

Prev

ention & Control

Prev

ention & Control

Prev

ention & Control

Prev

ention & Control

Name one high-risk area for new RIFA infes-
tations.

Correct answers:
?Nurseries
?Construction sites
?Newly landscaped sites
?Areas surrounding ports and cargo ware-
houses

True or false? Educating the public about the
red imported fire ant won?t help because
average people can?t do anything to stop their
spread.

False?the more people are keeping an eye out
for RIFA, the better chance of detecting any
populations that get established on Maui
before they get too big to eradicate.

True or false? Because RIFA is such a threat
to people, native species, and natural areas on
Maui, state and local government agencies
have gotten a blanket permit to allow them to
use whatever pesticides are necessary to
eliminate any new populations that are found.

False?state and federal permits and registra-
tions are needed in advance for each pesticide
that may be used.

True or false? The heavy pesticide use re-
quired for ongoing control of RIFA popula-
tions can pose a threat to water quality.

True

Fire Ants and the Future of Maui Wetlands

? H��ike o Haleakal� 50

Activity #3
Coastal Unit 4
Game Card Master

Race to the Wetlands Game Cards (cut solid lines, fold on dashed lines)

Prev

ention & Control

Prev

ention & Control

Prev

ention & Control

Prev

ention & Control

True or false? Crews in California have had
success eradicating well-established RIFA
populations by pouring boiling water into
their nests.

False?no way of eradicating well-estab-
lished populations has been found yet.

True or false? At all ports of entry, there are
currently inspection teams that use the latest
technologies and ant attracters to inspect all
goods that have been identified as potential
pathways for RIFA introduction.

False

True or false? The Hawai�i Department of
Agriculture has recognized RIFA as such a
potential threat that it has given RIFA re-
sponse crews authority to eradicate the ants
on private land without owner permission if
RIFA are ever found on the islands.

False

True or false? Efforts to keep RIFA popula-
tions to bearable numbers have resulted in
pesticide-contaminated water systems in
several mainland areas.

True

Fire Ants and the Future of Maui Wetlands

? H��ike o Haleakal� 52

Activity #3
Coastal Unit 4
Game Card Master

Race to the Wetlands Game Cards (cut solid lines, fold on dashed lines)

General Kno

wledge

General Kno

wledge

General Kno

wledge

General Kno

wledge

What is a quarantine?

A series of precautions and inspections
designed to keep pest species from getting
to uninfested areas

What does ?budding? mean in reference to ant
reproduction?
1) Each egg a queen ant lays produces several
larvae.
2) Newly mated queens disperse on foot to a new
location within a few meters of their birth colony
and create a new nest there.
3) On male larvae, ?budding? refers to the growth
of wings, which female worker ants do not have.

(2)

True or false? The big-headed ant is the only
ant species native to the Hawaiian Islands.

False

In 1992, Ke�lia Pond National Wildlife Ref-
uge was created from land donated to the
federal government by:
1) The state of Hawai�i
2) Bill Gates
3) The Alexander & Baldwin Company
4) The Audubon Society

(3)

Fire Ants and the Future of Maui Wetlands

? H��ike o Haleakal� 58

Activity #3
Coastal Unit 4
Game Card Master

Race to the Wetlands Game Cards (cut solid lines, fold on dashed lines)

Little Fire

Ants

Little Fire

Ants

Little Fire

Ants

Little Fire

Ants

Why are newly landscaped areas a likely place for
the little fire ant to become established on Maui?
1) Landscaping loosens the soil so the ants can
build nests.
2) Ants and their nests can travel to Maui on
nursery plants shipped from infested areas.
3) Food that landscapers bring to the job site
attracts little fire ants.

(2)

How long do entomologists think that the
little fire ant may have been on the Big Island
before it was discovered in 1999?
1) Ten years
2) Five or six years
3) Six months

(2)

True or false? The Hawai�i Department of
Agriculture requires random inspection of
nursery stock being shipped from little fire
ant-infested areas of the Big Island.

False?the Department of Agriculture requires
ALL nursery stock shipped from infested
areas to be inspected before they are shipped.

If little fire ants are found on nursery stock to be
shipped from the Big Island, what happens?
1) The plants are treated with insecticide before
being shipped or not shipped at all.
2) The plants and the soil they were grown in are
burned to destroy ants and their nests.
3) The plants are put into a large cooler because
the ants cannot survive temperatures below 50� F.

(1)

Fire Ants and the Future of Maui Wetlands

? H��ike o Haleakal� 60

Activity #3
Coastal Unit 4
Game Card Master

Race to the Wetlands Game Cards (cut solid lines, fold on dashed lines)

Little Fire

Ants

Little Fire

Ants

Little Fire

Ants

Little Fire

Ants

True or false? Little fire ants move very
quickly, so it is difficult to avoid getting
stung while surveying for them.

False

True or false? Little fire ants nest only in
shrubs and trees.

False?little fire ants are both terrestrial
(ground-dwelling) and arboreal (tree-dwell-
ing), and nest almost anywhere, including on
the ground (under logs, sticks, rocks, or
debris) and in plants or trees (under the bark or
in crevices of the plant).

True or false? When new little fire ant
queens mate and leave the nest, they fly as
much as a mile away to establish a new
nest.

False?little fire ants disperse by budding,
where the queen walks a short distance to
establish a new nest.

True or false? The antennal scrobe is a fi-
brous sheath that covers an ant?s antennae.

False?it?s a groove into which the antennae
can be folded.