Meeting Planned on Fighting Fire Ants

Southern California residents who are worried about the menacing infestation of red imported fire ants can be briefed this afternoon at a public town meeting about the growing problem and the possible solutions, including aerial dusting.

State and local officials will be on hand at the Orange County Hall of Administration in Santa Ana to explain the dangers of the fire ants and tell residents what they and the state can do.

In the meantime, two Orange County lawmakers have asked the state Legislature for an unspecified amount of money to fight the spread of fire ants, which attack in swarms and can cause severe allergic reactions or even death.

The bill, introduced Wednesday by state Sen. John Lewis (R-Orange), would allocate extra funds to the state Department of Food and Agriculture to be used to eradicate the ants. Assemblyman Bill Campbell (R-Villa Park) is helping to guide the measure through the Assembly.

The aggressive insects have been found mainly in Southern California and are especially prevalent in south Orange County, where they were discovered at two nurseries in Trabuco Canyon in November.

Since then, colonies have been found in Los Angeles and Riverside counties. Infestations have also cropped up in Fresno, Kern and Stanislaus counties, although the fire ants in those counties are not in heavily populated areas.