TWO more locations with fire ant infestations have been discovered on the North Shore this summer, marking a continued invasion of the aggressive insect.
Robert Higgins, a fire ant expert and professor of biological sciences at Thompson Rivers University, says European fire ants have been found in at least two more spots in the District of North Vancouver this year, although he won't give specific locations.
Higgins said the discovery isn't a surprise.
"We were yet to really comprehensively get a sense of just how broadly distributed they are," he said.
Higgins first discovered the harmful pests on a road allowance near Deep Cove last summer.
Fire ants are an aggressive invasive species that can create numerous nests in a single yard. Unlike other species of ants, fire ants will bite and sting repeatedly and in mass numbers, sometimes causing enough pain to require medical attention.
The introduced species has likely been in the Lower Mainland for the past 10 or 15 years, but has gained notoriety only recently as numbers have grown.
"We haven't had very much success in controlling the ants," said Higgins. "We're still in the process, the relatively early days of recognizing the invasion and getting a grasp on just how extensive it is."
Residents can help prevent the spread of the ants, Higgins said, by being cautious about the plants they buy.
"If they see any signs of ants associated with the soil in the pots, they should not bring it onto their property." Higgins recommended taking a 'no ants on plants' type of philosophy.
He said it can be difficult to identify which species of ants are invasive, but added any ant that is happy in a potted plant, could be leaning that way.
"There is a high probability that it is the type of ant that can be invasive," said Higgins. "They love that type of disturbed, marginal habitat."
The ants appear less aggressive when there are only one or two nests in a yard, Higgins said, but once the nests start multiplying and spreading, they get more aggressive.
"They very rapidly swarm from their nests and start stinging" anyone standing or kneeling in the backyard, he said.
European fire ants can have numerous colonies in one yard because they recognize it as ideal habitat, sending flying ants only a short distance away, or not at all. Higgins said that is common in invasive species.
"They monopolize these areas," he said. "You get high nest densities, so with the European fire ant, you can get four to five nests in a single square metre."
Higgins said that although there are signs up in a city park in Richmond, there are no signs on the North Shore as the ants have only been found on private properties to date.
