RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia officials have expanded the quarantine zone for imported fire ants as the South American insects continue to spread throughout the state.
Last week, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) expanded the zone to include the counties of Chesterfield, Lee, Nottoway, Pittsylvania, Prince George, and Surry and the cities of Colonial Heights, Danville, Hopewell, and Petersburg.
The zone was last expanded in 2022.
The aggressive insects, first noted in Virginia in 1989, pose significant risks to agriculture, plus livestock and humans due to their painful stings.
"Fire ant sting does feel pretty bad, but what's worse than the sting is the after-effects, the wound or the pustule will itch for three or four days after the fact," said David Gianino, Plant Industry Services Program Manager at VDACS. "They actually have a really potent venom and it can cause anaphylaxis in people who are allergic to venom stings, but they're just a very aggressive ant."
Virginia has implemented a two-fold approach to manage the invasion. The first, the quarantine zone approach, are done in cities and counties where the ants are too well-established to be eliminated and the state says it is up to businesses, homeowners, or localities to treat mounds in these areas.
VDACS focus in the quarantine zones it to prevent the ants from being transported outside the zone and require businesses that deal in products potentially harboring imported fire ants—such as farming equipment or hay—must be certified ant-free before shipping to areas outside the quarantine.
"They have slowly moved their way west and north. Most of that has been natural spread. But what we're starting to see now is, as it's making its way into more urban areas, it's being moved and picked up by individuals or businesses or products. And so, we're starting to actually see the progression of fire ants as they get closer to Richmond," said Gianino. "Up until recently, Richmond has been confirmed as kind of the highest point, biologically and climatically, that they could go north. But as we know, as the temperatures get warmer, more globally and more regionally, those populations may even surpass the Richmond line that we previously knew about. So, really, it's just the fact that there's nothing to control them except humans at this point."
The second approach is trying to eradicate mounds that appear outside the quarantine zone. Gianino said VDACS sends contractors to treat imported fire ant mounds and showed CBS 6 one Richmond parking lot near the James River that has been undergoing treatment for over two years, highlighting the insects' resilience.
"When we first came to this site, there were about a dozen mounds all spread throughout and as of today, it looks after our treatments there, looks like there's only about maybe three or four mounds here," Gianino said.
Officials are asking the public to report suspected colonies to the state. Key characteristics of fire ant mounds include "no main entryway, really light, loose, fluffy soil. They tend to be in sunny areas," according to Gianino.
If you accidentally step on a mound, Gianino advises to react quickly, removing the ants as fast as possible and keeping any bites clean to prevent infection.
Gianino added while the state will send crews to treat confirmed infestations, it could take up to two weeks and encourages people not to wait and to begin treatment with approved pesticides.
"If left unchecked, and if left unquarantined or unmanaged, then they have the potential to spread as far as, you know, as they can," Gianino said.
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