Researchers eradicate invasive ants on Aussie island

CANBERRA: The invasive African bigheaded ant has been eradicated from Lord Howe Island in the Pacific, helping to protect the rare ecosystem at the World Heritage site, scientists have said.

Lord Howe Island, a remote and tiny volcanic remnant in the Tasman Sea, off Australia’s east coast, has massive species diversity and endangered native plants and animals found only on the island.

The African big-headed ant, which is not native to Lord Howe Island, is listed as one of the 100 worst pests in the world and thought to have caused the extinction of several species on Hawaii.

Ben Hoffmann, an exotic ant specialist and part of the Australian eradication team, said ants are among the most abundant and diverse fauna in the world and play an important role in ecosystem health.

“However, invasive ants cause harm to local ant species, which can have devastating impact on local ecosystems,” said Hoffman, a scientist with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), an independent government agency.

The ground team on Lord Howe Island, with the help of a programme developed by CSIRO to map and bait the colonies, used almost 200,000 lures to assess the invasive ants’ presence and eradicate them.

“Once we were able to establish the right method for eradication, we were able to eradicate the invasive ant within three years,” he said.

Hoffmann said the programme was one of the most significant invasive ant eradications in the world.