Dangerous fire ants invade Japan

Dangerous fire

 Dangerous fire ants invade Japan

More than 10,000 highly toxic fire ants, including at least four queens, were found in a container that was moved to privately-owned land in Ibara City, Okayama Prefecture, western Japan, the Environment Ministry said Wednesday.

This was the largest number of fire ants, classified as a gas alien species, found in one case in Japan so far, according to Jiji Press.

The ministry said that the fire ants were treated with insecticides, and no settlement of fire ants was confirmed there.

The container in question was shipped from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and arrived in Ibara on October 25 via Hong Kong and Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture, west of Okayama.

On the day of arriving in Ibarra, the worker opened the container and found many ants in it. The container was then immediately sealed and sent back to Fukuyama.