Colonies of Imported Fire Ants Found

Two infestations of the imported red fire ant--each with multiple mounds that could harbor several million ants--have been found in the San Fernando Valley, county officials said Thursday.

The ants, which can swarm their victims and inflict painful bites and stings, were discovered last month at a Mission Hills cemetery and a Chatsworth business.

The finding comes a little more than a year after a single ant was found in a mound near a Van Nuys home. County agricultural inspectors admitted they expected to find more of the pests. Now, they are prepared to wipe them out.

“Except for a single ant found earlier, these are the first infestations found in the Valley,” said county Agricultural Commissioner Cato Fiksdal. “We are confident that we will be able to eliminate this and the other infestations eventually.”

The first Valley infestation was detected on May 11 by a woman who was stung while visiting a grave at San Fernando Mission Cemetery. Although inspectors believe the woman was stung by a native fire ant, which produces a less severe sting or bite, an entomologist confirmed the imported species created about two dozen mounds at the cemetery.

Stephen Van Buren, risk manager for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, which operates the cemetery, said it is cooperating with state and county agencies to exterminate the ants. The facility will be closed on Thursday while bait is spread throughout the cemetery.

Several well-developed ant colonies were also found on May 22 at a business in the 20700 block of Prairie Street in Chatsworth. County officials were notified about the ants by a pest control company that reported the possibility of the species at the property. Once again, a subsequent search confirmed the imported fire ant was living there.

“This is nothing to mess around with,” said county Agricultural Inspector Daniel Papilli, who noted each colony can number from 250,000 to 500,000 ants. “We have to jump on this quickly and suppress the population so they don’t become a bigger problem.”

Papilli said officials will attack the ants with two types of insecticides, which will stunt larval growth and sterilize the queen. A queen ant can produce up to 1,000 eggs per day.

“We get two shots at her,” Papilli said.

The infestations have posed significant problems in Southern states, where the colonies have thrived in the warm weather. The ants were first seen in Southern California two years ago in the Trabuco Canyon area of Orange County. A countywide quarantine was issued months later to prevent commercial shipments of plants and soil to other parts of the state.

County Agricultural Deputy Director Robert Donley said 185 sites in Los Angeles County have been invaded by the insect.

“The important thing is to reduce the hazard to the public and to ensure these ants don’t get well-established,” Donley said. “We feel the problem is small enough right now that we can contain and eradicate the ants for good.”

Residents who suspect they have encountered imported fire ants may call the Los Angeles County agriculture commissioner’s office at (800) 491-1899.

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Times staff writer David Colker contributed to this story.