The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) received Saturday a verbal reply from experts in the Chinese mainland confirming that the ant specimens that had been submitted for their examination were red fire ants.  

According to the US Department of Agriculture, red fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) bite repeatedly when their nests are disturbed. Repeated stings from a swarm could lead to chest pains, nausea, shock or, in extremely rare cases, coma or death. Taiwan reported its first death from red fire ants last October.

Hong Kong discovered its first suspected red fire ant mounds in Wetland Park in Tin Shui Wai Wednesday. Since then, more and more suspected mounds have been reported.

In Saturday's operation, the West Bank of Kowloon Cultural District area and a former bus terminal in Tai Kok Tsui became the latest habitats of the red fire ants, making the total number of mounds found so far in various sites amount to 187.

Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food York Chow said Friday the red fire ants might settle in Hong Kong permanently.

"I cannot rule out this possibility... They might have been in Hong Kong for some time," he said.

An interdepartmental task force led by the Health, Welfare and Food Bureau has been set up to coordinate patrol efforts by various departments that will report findings to the agriculture department.

More than 800 estate management staff of the Hong Kong Housing Department have been mobilized to step up daily inspection of housing estates to prevent possible spread of red fire ants. Patrol teams will also watch for any red fire ant traces and promptly deal with any found.

However, Chow urged the public not to overreact, saying the ants were just insects, not a virus such as SARS.

Speaking on a radio talk show Saturday, Deputy Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Lau Sin-pang said the inspections on pot plants imported from the mainland will raise consumer confidence in buying them.

(Xinhua News Agency January 30, 2005)