On March 26, the Ministry of Agriculture and rural Affairs of the Communist Party of China said that red fire ants have spread in 12 provinces and 435 counties (cities and districts) in China, including Guangdong and Hubei.
Comprehensive mainland media reports, the red fire ant is a quarantine pest in agriculture, forestry and inbound plants, and is also recognized as one of the 100 most dangerous invasive species worldwide. In recent years, the spread of red fire ants has accelerated and increased in some provinces and regions in China.
Monitoring by the agricultural and rural sectors of the CCP shows that the red fire ant has now spread to 435 counties (cities and districts) in 12 provinces (regions and municipalities), including Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan, with the south almost losing ground. In particular, 191 new county-level administrative regions of red fire ants occurred in the past five years, doubling the number of 2016.
According to the report, on the 26th, nine departments, including the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Water Resources, the health and Welfare Commission, the General Administration of Customs, the State Forestry and Grass Administration, the State Railway Bureau, and the State Post Bureau, finalized joint actions on red fire ant prevention and control to prevent the further spread of red fire ants.
According to public information, the Latin name of the red fire ant means “invincible” ant and is named because it is difficult to control. When bitten by red fire ants, the characteristics of the bite are obvious. The bite is itchy and causes allergic symptoms such as burning, pain, redness, swelling and pustules. Some allergic individuals may suffer from severe anaphylactic shock, or even dizziness, foaming at the mouth, breathing difficulties, convulsions, and coma. Red fire ants are widely distributed and are one of the most destructive invasive organisms. In recent years, the spread of red fire ants in China has accelerated and the Epidemic has increased, spreading to various places such as urban green belts, agricultural fields and orchards.
Last week, a villager in Shuantang Town, Dongyuan County, Heyuan City, Guangdong Province, reported that after a round of spring rains in the area, red fire ant damage was found on farmland and crops were affected; at the end of last month, red fire ant nests were also found in the green trees along Yunjing Road Primary School in Nanning City, Guangxi, and pedestrians and students were bitten.
In 2018, a man in Nanning, Guangxi, died after being bitten by red fire ants and suffering from coma and loss of consciousness.
In 2004, an elderly woman in Taoyuan City, Taiwan, died within a day after being admitted to the hospital after vomiting from a red fire ant bite.
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