Beginning control of the browsing ant (August 2020)

The alien species Lepisiota frauenfeldi, commonly known as the “browsing ant”, was confirmed to be established in Naha City, and a call by OIST’s Okinawa Environmental Research Support Section led to a cross-organizational collaboration between the City, Sumika Environmental Corporation, and the University of the Ryukyus that has begun control measures. Since around 2017, when fire ants were discovered in mainland Japan, several organizations including research institutes and government agencies have been working together to monitor for alien ants in Okinawa Prefecture. One of these surveys, led by the Ministry of the Environment in February 2020, confirmed that the browsing ant had become established along the national highway in Naha City. Under the coordination of the Ministry of the Environment's Okinawa-Amami Natural Environment Office, all stakeholders quickly gathered to share policies and make preparations for eradication. Our section was quick to conduct the foundational research needed to clarify the extent of establishment and necessary ecological information, which helped initiate early control. Going forward, we will continue to accumulate data and develop data-based technology in parallel with implementing control and monitoring aimed at preventing spread, reducing density, and eradicating browsing ants from Okinawa.