Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2001 08:49:56 -1000 From: evgarchive Subject: draft rifa plan To: "(Ant Working Group)" Hi all - attached is a first attempt at a RIFA prevention plan (i.e. first/rough draft). I'd appreciate comments/thoughts. I also think we should meet again soon (mid-May?) to hash this out into a more definative plan that we can start working with (passing around to stakeholders, etc). -ellen -- Ellen VanGelder USGS/BRD, Haleakala Field Station P.O. Box 369 Makawao, HI 96768 808-572-4472 FAX 808-572-1304 --------------------- Date: Fri, 27 Apr 2001 12:08:33 -1000 From: evgarchive Subject: Re: May Meeting To: Pete Oboyski Cc: antlist@mail.bishopmuseum.org Hi Pete - the main agenda item would be to work on (fine tune/discuss) the RIFA prevention plan draft I sent out a couple days ago. We are thinking about sometime during 21-25 May, and are trying to get Richard Orr (USDA-APHIS) to come out from mainland to assist. I'll suggest a more precise date/time as soon as we hear back from him regarding his availability. He said he should know in a week or so. -ellen Pete Oboyski wrote: > Ellen suggested a meeting in May. > Any thoughts on a date? > Any particular agenda items? > > I will be on Oahu May 7-12. > I will not be available May 4, 14, 15 -- Ellen VanGelder USGS/BRD, Haleakala Field Station P.O. Box 369 Makawao, HI 96768 808-572-4472 FAX 808-572-1304 -------------------------------- Date: Fri, 04 May 2001 12:57:02 -1000 To: antlist@bishopmuseum.org From: Big Island Miconia Team Subject: Exeption for Amdro appl for RIFA Queeen Ellen La Rifa et al., I have been talking to Lance Kobashigawa re. what kind of exemption we would need to apply amdro on "bearing" food crops (including any backyard kind) if the dreaded day ever comes. There are 4 different kinds of exemtions: specific, public health, crisis and quarantine. It seems the crisis exemption would get amdro on the ground the fastest ( 3 days), while you are applying for one of the other exemptions. It seems RIFA would fit the criteria for any of them but Lance says the quarantine exemption is probably the easiest to get (less documentation and data required, so presumeably the fastest?). Lance faxed me the fed regs explaining these exemptions and I can fax them to you guys if you want them. I will bring copies to the meeting (if I get plane fare). They are also at a website that I haven't tried to access so I don't know how hard it is to find the regs within: (I hope). click on federal regs. Maybe the USDA guys knows all this already and will explain it to us, but it dosen't hurt to get the spin from the local pesticide boys. The problem of people losing their crops could arise. Lamce says EPA MAY allow harvest if it can be shown that there is no residue on the crop. On orchard crops it should not be a problem but veg crops could be. The spectre of compenation for losses could arise but maybe the state is protected by law when we have court ordered right of entry to eradicate a new pest(?). I will need to ask the bosses about that. It must have come up with banana bunchy top eradication in Kona. Hopefully this will help fill in the blanks in the plan. Lance can be on call to answer questions. I didn't want to ask him to come to the meeting, but I could do it if you guys think we need him. Pat C. ----------------------------------- From: "Scholz, Brad" To: "'neale@bishopmuseum.org'" Subject: Fire Ants Date: Fri, 11 May 2001 08:04:25 +1000 Status: Hello Greetings from Australia. I have read, with interest, one of your web articles on red imported fire ants (RIFA). You are probaly aware that we have recently found RIFA in Australia. The human health section of your article mentions that there have been 83 deaths in the USA attributed to RIFA; while other articles that I have read mention 2 deaths - i.e. there is a considerable difference in the figures. Can you kindly supply a reference for your information? This information will help my Department highlight the serious nature of RIFA to human health. We are in the process of doing a Benefit:Cost analysis for RIFA eradication. We hope to convince other government Departments in Australia that RIFA is a serious pest and thereby secure some co-operative funding agreement for an eradication campaign. Any information that you can supply to clarify the human health impacts in the USA would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Brad Dr Brad Scholz Scientist (Fire Ants) Fire Ant Unit APHS Level 3 Primary Industries Building GPO Box 46 (80 Ann Street) BRISBANE QLD 4001 Telephone: (07) 3404 3370 Facsimile: (07) 3211 3293 e-mail: scholzb@dpi.qld.gov.au *DISCLAIMER* The information contained in the above e-mail message or messages (which includes any attachments) is confidential and may be legally privileged. It is intended only for the use of the person or entity to which it is addressed. If you are not the addressee any form of disclosure, copying, modification, distribution or any action taken or omitted in reliance on the information is unauthorised. Opinions contained in the message(s) do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Queensland Government and its authorities. If you received this communication in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete it from your computer system network. ------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 06 Jun 2001 08:45:03 -1000 To: antlist@mail.bishopmuseum.org From: Big Island Miconia Team Subject: False RIFA alarm Fellow worker ants, I had a pretty good scare monday when a lady called about what sounded like Solenopsis in her yard stinging her kids. Even the dog got so many stings they took it to the vet. She lives on 19th st. in Hawaiian Paradise Park (which just happens to be the same street with two Wasmannia infestations but widely separated, but that's not relevant here). What really caught my attention was when she mentioned both kids (5 and 7 yrs old) had multiple stings with white pustules formed. Clyde went out to get specimens since I had a plane to catch. I looked at them yesterday under the scope. They seemed to have the two carinae on the epinotum and they don't have a medial clypeal tooth. They do not appear to have the mesopleuaral flange that our geminata have here. I'm actually a bit fuzzy on that character so I could use more invicta specimens from somebody (are you reading this Ellen and Neal?). It would be good to have a set of workers and soldiers for each island for reference. I got two specimens from Neal, but a series would be better. Anyway, has anyone heard of geminata causing the pustules? I thought only invicta was supposed to do that. Pat Conant ------------------------------------ Delivered-To: antlist@mail.bishopmuseum.org Date: Wed, 06 Jun 2001 12:04:51 -0500 To: Big Island Miconia Team , antlist@mail.bishopmuseum.org From: Charlotte Causton Subject: Re: False RIFA alarm Hi Pat Solenopsis geminata is an invasive here in Galapagos and definitely causes pustules to form on some people. Saludos Charlotte At 01:45 PM 6/6/01, Big Island Miconia Team wrote: Fellow worker ants, I had a pretty good scare monday when a lady called about what sounded like Solenopsis in her yard stinging her kids. Even the dog got so many stings they took it to the vet. She lives on 19th st. in Hawaiian Paradise Park (which just happens to be the same street with two Wasmannia infestations but widely separated, but that's not relevant here). What really caught my attention was when she mentioned both kids (5 and 7 yrs old) had multiple stings with white pustules formed. Clyde went out to get specimens since I had a plane to catch. I looked at them yesterday under the scope. They seemed to have the two carinae on the epinotum and they don't have a medial clypeal tooth. They do not appear to have the mesopleuaral flange that our geminata have here. I'm actually a bit fuzzy on that character so I could use more invicta specimens from somebody (are you reading this Ellen and Neal?). It would be good to have a set of workers and soldiers for each island for reference. I got two specimens from Neal, but a series would be better. Anyway, has anyone heard of geminata causing the pustules? I thought only invicta was supposed to do that. Pat Conant Charlotte Causton PhD Head of Department of Terrestrial Invertebrates/Jefa del Departamento de Invertebrados Charles Darwin Research Station/Estacion Cientifica Charles Darwin Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Galapagos Islands Postal address/Direccion postal: A.P. 17-01-3891, Quito, Ecuador Tel/fax: +593 5 526 146/147 o 527 013/014 email: causton@fcdarwin.org.ec Web site:http://www.darwinfoundation.org/ ---------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 06 Jun 2001 09:39:09 -1000 From: evgarchive Subject: Re: False RIFA alarm To: Big Island Miconia Team Cc: antlist@mail.bishopmuseum.org Hi Pat - based on what I've read, my understanding is that Solenopsis invicta stings always form pustules, and that S.geminata stings usually do not, but do in some people. Consequently, the safest approach is to do what you did (assume Solenopsis and check it immediately). I believe this is the approach we agreed would be best when providing info to DOH for distribution to physicians (i.e. if patients have pustules, report it, and DOA/DOH will investigate). FYI - I collected some RIFA specimens this spring while in Texas. Dan Gruner has a few of them, and the rest are at the office (Maui). I'll be going to the office tomorrow, returning to big island on June 19 or 20. I'll bring some back for you. -ellen Big Island Miconia Team wrote: > Fellow worker ants, > > I had a pretty good scare monday when a lady called about what sounded like > Solenopsis in her yard stinging her kids. Even the dog got so many stings > they took it to the vet. She lives on 19th st. in Hawaiian Paradise Park > (which just happens to be the same street with two Wasmannia infestations > but widely separated, but that's not relevant here). What really caught my > attention was when she mentioned both kids (5 and 7 yrs old) had multiple > stings with white pustules formed. Clyde went out to get specimens since I > had a plane to catch. > I looked at them yesterday under the scope. They seemed to have the two > carinae on the epinotum and they don't have a medial clypeal tooth. They do > not appear to have the mesopleuaral flange that our geminata have here. I'm > actually a bit fuzzy on that character so I could use more invicta > specimens from somebody (are you reading this Ellen and Neal?). It would > be good to have a set of workers and soldiers for each island for > reference. I got two > specimens from Neal, but a series would be better. > Anyway, has anyone heard of geminata causing the pustules? I thought only > invicta was supposed to do that. > > Pat Conant -- Ellen VanGelder USGS/BRD, Haleakala Field Station P.O. Box 369 Makawao, HI 96768 808-572-4472 FAX 808-572-1304 ---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 06 Jun 2001 09:44:56 -1000 From: evgarchive Subject: Re: False RIFA alarm To: Charlotte Causton , "(Ant Working Group)" Hi Charlotte - Do you have any idea of the rough percentage of people stung by S.geminata in Galapagos that develop pustules? Does it seem like a large percentage of people stung get pustule formation? -ellen -- Ellen VanGelder USGS/BRD, Haleakala Field Station P.O. Box 369 Makawao, HI 96768 808-572-4472 FAX 808-572-1304 Charlotte Causton wrote: Hi Pat Solenopsis geminata is an invasive here in Galapagos and definitely causes pustules to form on some people. Saludos Charlotte At 01:45 PM 6/6/01, Big Island Miconia Team wrote: Fellow worker ants, I had a pretty good scare monday when a lady called about what sounded like Solenopsis in her yard stinging her kids. Even the dog got so many stings they took it to the vet. She lives on 19th st. in Hawaiian Paradise Park (which just happens to be the same street with two Wasmannia infestations but widely separated, but that's not relevant here). What really caught my attention was when she mentioned both kids (5 and 7 yrs old) had multiple stings with white pustules formed. Clyde went out to get specimens since I had a plane to catch. I looked at them yesterday under the scope. They seemed to have the two carinae on the epinotum and they don't have a medial clypeal tooth. They do not appear to have the mesopleuaral flange that our geminata have here. I'm actually a bit fuzzy on that character so I could use more invicta specimens from somebody (are you reading this Ellen and Neal?). It would be good to have a set of workers and soldiers for each island for reference. I got two specimens from Neal, but a series would be better. Anyway, has anyone heard of geminata causing the pustules? I thought only invicta was supposed to do that. Pat Conant Charlotte Causton PhD Head of Department of Terrestrial Invertebrates/Jefa del Departamento de Invertebrados Charles Darwin Research Station/Estacion Cientifica Charles Darwin Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Galapagos Islands Postal address/Direccion postal: A.P. 17-01-3891, Quito, Ecuador Tel/fax: +593 5 526 146/147 o 527 013/014 email: causton@fcdarwin.org.ec Web site: http://www.darwinfoundation.org/ ------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 07 Jun 2001 07:02:16 -0500 To: Dan Gruner , Hawaii Ant Group From: Charlotte Causton Subject: Re: Fwd: From David G. Burrows - Ministry of Agriculture, Galapagos Cc: david Burrows Status: Hi Dan Thanks for the help on this. Dave is very kindly helping us out on preparing pamphlets for farmers on how to control the most aggressive pests using eco friendly products and the like. Unfortunately, we can't recommend Amdro as it is not registered in Ecuador. We spent more than a year before we convinced authorities to allow us to import Amdro for our control program! Saludos Charlotte At 12:28 AM 6/7/01, Dan Gruner wrote: Fellow anteaters, Can anyone help this fellow? I could tell him about Amdro and the work of Pat Conant and HDOA, but he is looking for organic control methods. If someone can reply with information, please copy me in your reply. Thanks Dan Date: Wed, 6 Jun 2001 09:41:03 -1000 From: David Burrows Subject: From David G. Burrows - Ministry of Agriculture, Galapagos To: dgruner@hawaii.edu I am currently drawing up an information pamphlet on the control (preferably organic) for Wasmannia auropunctata which is an extremely aggressive pest here in The Galapagos. I would be grateful if you could send me any information you have or recommend other contacts or websites. Thanking you in advance for your time and reply. Yours David G. Burrows ____________________________________________________________ Charlotte Causton PhD Head of Department of Terrestrial Invertebrates/Jefa del Departamento de Invertebrados Charles Darwin Research Station/Estacion Cientifica Charles Darwin Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Galapagos Islands Postal address/Direccion postal: A.P. 17-01-3891, Quito, Ecuador Tel/fax: +593 5 526 146/147 o 527 013/014 email: causton@fcdarwin.org.ec Web site:http://www.darwinfoundation.org/ ------------------------------------ Subject: ant identification workshop To: antlist@mail.bishopmuseum.org From: "Pete Oboyski" Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001 16:04:32 -1000 ----- Forwarded by Pete Oboyski/BRD/CONT/USGS/DOI on 07/12/2001 05:03 PM ----- O. G. Marti, Jr. This may be more than you were interested in but, there will be an ant identification workshop at this years meeting of the Florida Entomological Society, Aug. 4-9, Stuart Fl. The ant workshop will be held Tuesday, August 7, 2001 9-12 am. More information about the meeting can be found at: http://www.flaentsoc.org/ Good Luck. Chris Swart Dept. of Biol. Univ. of Louisiana at Lafayette Lafayette, LA 70504 ccs5394@louisiana.edu -------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2001 14:40:27 -1000 To: antlist@mail.bishopmuseum.org From: Big Island Miconia Team Subject: RIFA response from Sen Inouye's off. Dear Worker Ants, Attached is a response I got from Mr. Craig Reed of APHIS as a result of a letter I had sent to Senator Inouye. What I am asking you guys to do is help me formulate a good response (including a big Mahalo) which is apparently directed to Mr. Vernon Harrington in the Honolulu Federal Bldg. I am open to suggestions. I will send a thank you note to Marie Blanco of the senator's office. My department already receives CAPS funds for general pest surveys but it sounds like we can qualify for special RIFA funds of some sort. I may ask Ron Heu, our survey entomologist, to assemble the response letter since he is the one that administers our CAPS funding. Patrick Wasmann Conant ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2001 09:37:31 -1000 From: evgarchive Subject: Re: RIFA response from Sen Inouye's off. To: Big Island Miconia Team , "(Ant Working Group)" Hi Pat - the letter is good news! I knew there were funds available from the feds for RIFA surveys, but we were unaware of them until it was too late to ask for any $$ for this FY. It would be great if Mr. Reed could come up with something when he checks out options for additional funds for this FY. But if not, it seems we are in a good position to get the CAPS funds for next year. About discussing a budget for a survey program in Hawaii with Mr. Harrington - In the RIFA plan we worked out at the last ant meeting, we state that there should be two survey entomologists (one HDOA, one HDOH) on each island, with perhaps 4 on the big island (a pair each for east and west). I'm not sure whether you/antlisters think the survey program to be discussed with Mr. Harrington should go beyond this or not, but I sure would like to see a thorough, focused, combing of the state for this beast, so we can ascertain whether or not the thing is already here. Guess we should find out how much money is available first... As for formulating a response to Mr. Harrington - it seems maybe something short, letting him know we/you/whomever will be calling him about this? Maybe something along these lines (?): Dear Mr. Harrington: On behalf of the Hawaii Ant Group, I would like to express my thanks to U.S.D.A. for their response to Sen. Inouye on behalf of my letter. Your agency's assistance in providing options for survey funds is greatly appreciated. As per the attached letter from Mr.Craig Reed, the Hawaii Ant Group would like to discuss a budget for a red imported fire ant survey program with you and the process for submitting a CAPS application to fund the program. We will be calling you in the near future regarding this matter {-or- Please let us know the best way to contact you (phone? email?)}. Thank you so much for your assistance. Sincerely - Pat Wasmann Conant/antgroup/whomever I'm not sure if "on behalf of hawaii ant group" is appropriate here (thats you're call). -ellen Big Island Miconia Team wrote: > Dear Worker Ants, > > Attached is a response I got from Mr. Craig Reed of APHIS as a result of a > letter I had sent to Senator Inouye. > -- Ellen VanGelder USGS/BRD, Haleakala Field Station P.O. Box 369 Makawao, HI 96768 808-572-4472 FAX 808-572-1304 ---------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 10:34:23 -1000 To: Hawaii Ant Group From: Dan Gruner Subject: Pub alert - Evolution vol. 55 no. 5 (2001) TI: Population Genetics and Colony Structure of the Argentine Ant (Linepithema humile) in Its Native and Introduced Ranges AU: Tsutsui, ND; Case, TJ JN: Evolution PD: 2001 VO: 55 NO: 5 PG: 976-985 PB: EVOLUTION IS: 0014-3820 URL: http://www.ingenta.com/isis/searching/Expand/ingenta?unc=1014386444 ------------------------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 12:09:35 -1000 To: Hawaii Ant Group From: Dan Gruner Subject: Global Biodiversity Forum Hi folks, "The Global Biodiversity Forum (GBF) was founded in 1993 by IUCN, WRI, UNEP, and ACTS and includes a number of other institutions as its convenors. It is an open and independent mechanism to encourage analysis, dialogue and partnership on key ecological, economic, social and institutional issues related to biodiversity. It contributes to the further development and implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Ramsar Convention, the Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on Combatting Desertification and other biodiversity-related conventions at the local, national, regional and international levels. " The next session will be held at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Sep 25-28, 2001. There are four concurrent sessions, but the one of interest to us concerns invasive species. Here may be an opportunity to push ants (esp. RIFA) to the forefront of global policy measures to protect biodiversity. "Description : The issue of invasive alien species has become a major global concern. While the Pacific has long suffered from this problem, growing international concern may offer new opportunities for fostering the support which will be needed to address the threat. The draft Invasive Species Strategy for the Pacific Islands Region prepared by SPREP offers a sound foundation upon which to build, and the Global Invasive Species Programme (a collaborative effort of IUCN, CABI, UNEP, and Diversitas) is keen to expand work in the region. Under the CBD, Article 8(h) deals directly with invasive alien species, and the 6th meeting of the CBD's Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical, and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) held in Montreal in January 2001 addressed this article in considerable detail. This session will: further define the levels of threat (both biological and economic) for the Pacific; explore ways of building broader public interest and support; build partnerships among those who are working on the issue (or interested in doing so) in the region; discuss ways of linking science, management, and policy; consider cultural and social aspects of invasives; and identify major investment opportunities. This session should be of interest to biologists, anthropologists, Pacific peoples, government agricultural and natural resources agencies, NGOs, and donor agencies. Focal contact : Jeffrey McNeely Chief Scientist IUCN - The World Conservation Union Rue Mauverney 28 1196 Gland, Switzerland Phone: ++41 (22) 999-0284 Fax: ++41 (22) 999-0025 e-mail: jeffrey.mcneely@iucn.org The website at http://www.gbf.ch/ is not very helpful (under construction) but I have a detailed pdf that I can email to you. I am considering attending. Anybody else? Comments? Aloha dan ---------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2001 12:24:46 -1000 From: evgarchive Subject: Re: Global Biodiversity Forum To: Dan Gruner Cc: Hawaii Ant Group Hi Dan - I think it would be great if you attended. I will be going. FYI, I submitted the following abstract for presentation/discussion at the invasive species workshop: Title: One of the world’s worst pests (the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta) is at our door: what is the threat and how do we address it? The SPREP invasive species plan identifies ants as potentially the greatest arthropod threat to conservation in the Pacific. Arguably the world’s worst ant pest, the red imported fire ant has just recently arrived on the region’s doorstep, and is very likely the most serious impending threat to biodiversity in the Pacific. The red imported fire ant is a notoriously destructive and aggressive stinging ant that is highly invasive and extremely difficult to eradicate once established. Dispersed primarily through commerce, it has invaded over 300 million acres in the United States despite federal quarantine measures. Having recently established in California (in 1998), and Australia (March 2001), this ant is poised to become the next major severe pest invasion in the Pacific due to the huge quantities of goods shipped into the region from these locales. If this ant is allowed to establish, it will no doubt cause disastrous ecological and economic impacts that are at least equal in magnitude to those predicted for the much-feared Brown Tree Snake. The red imported fire ant has a combination of several traits that lead to widespread impacts. Its broad habitat requirements allow it to invade a variety of habitats. Its broad diet, which includes plants and animals, has caused serious declines in biodiversity and substantial agricultural damage. Its aggressive nature and powerful sting have caused the deaths of at least 80 people, injury to tens of thousands of people annually, and injury and death of wildlife, livestock, and pets. Its attraction to, and damage of, electrical equipment affects communication, transportation, electrical distribution, and safety lighting systems. It is a very serious threat to biodiversity, public health and safety, industry/economy, quality-of-life, and, due to the use of pesticides needed to control them, water quality and overall ecosystem health. In the mainland U.S. it causes an estimated $1 billion in damages annually. In order to prevent this species from becoming permanently established throughout the Pacific, with dire effects on the region’s biodiversity, proactive efforts are urgently needed. Hawaii is in the process of developing a state red imported fire ant prevention/rapid response plan. This plan (being developed with assistance from an interagency working group) along with the SPREP draft invasive species strategy, could provide a model from which to build a regional red imported fire ant prevention plan. Cooperative, creative, and timely efforts involving both the public and private sector, at all levels, will be needed to successfully prevent invasion of this devastating pest into our region. The red imported fire ant threat consequently provides an ideal case study for GBF discussion. -ellen Dan Gruner wrote: > Hi folks, > > "The Global Biodiversity Forum (GBF) was founded in 1993 by IUCN, WRI, > UNEP, and ACTS and includes a number of other institutions as its > convenors. [snip] > I am considering attending. Anybody else? Comments? > > Aloha > dan -- Ellen VanGelder USGS/BRD, Haleakala Field Station P.O. Box 369 Makawao, HI 96768 808-572-4472 FAX 808-572-1304 ------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Sat, 21 Jul 2001 11:48:10 -1000 From: "Philip A. Thomas" Reply-To: pt@hear.org Organization: Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR) To: Laine Cc: "HAG ant list (antlist)" Subject: Re: feedback from HEAR's ant page Dear Laine, Thanks for contacting HEAR about your ant bites. I've cc'd this message to some "ant people" who will know more about exactly how to deal with this situation. Hopefully, one or more of them will contact you directly. (If not, please ask Ellen Van Gelder [evangeld@hawaii.edu] for more details.) It's important that these ants get identified (as it is obvious that you already understand), so COLLECTING some of the ants is very important, if you can still find some of them. I'm not sure about the best way to collect them (e.g. just put them in a film canister, or put them in alcohol, or what...)... but hopefully one of the ant people can help you with that. For lack of more specific guidance from someone else, I'd advise you to send specimens to the Department of Agriculture (Neil Reimer, Plant Quarantine Branch, 701 Ilalo Street, Honolulu, HI 96813; nreimer@elele.peacesat.hawaii.edu, I think is his current e-mail address) for identification. Presumably, you have already seen the following websites, but just in case you haven't, check out: http://www.hear.org/AlienSpeciesInHawaii/ants/index.html#PictorialAntKey http://www.hear.org/AlienSpeciesInHawaii/ants/antphotos.htm Best wishes with your ID search; I'd be very interested to hear what results you come up with! Aloha, Philip A. Thomas pt@hear.org Laine wrote: > > Hi, > Some ants invaded my bed as I slept last night. (I live in Ewa > Beach.) I was bitten three times, almost simultaneously. I know they > weren't mosquito bites because not only did I find about a dozen ants > crawling around the sheets and night stand, but the swelling from the > bite was way bigger than from a mosquito bite. > > The ants didn't look like any of the ants in your website pictures. > They are slender, have a red head and thorax and a reddish black > abdomen and are about 1/8th inch long. What do you think they are? > Their bite and poison is very painful but not as painful as the > big-headed red ant. > > Anyway, it might be helpful to give the measurement of the ant so we > can identify the creatures in case we have to go to the doctor for > treatment for allergic reaction. > > Thanks. > Ms. Laine Skiendiel > Ant bite victim -- Philip A. Thomas pt@hear.org Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR) http://www.hear.org ------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 21 Jul 2001 11:53:24 -1000 From: "Philip A. Thomas" Reply-To: pt@hear.org Organization: Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR) To: "HAG ant list (antlist)" Cc: "Loope (lloyd), Lloyd" Subject: "What to do if I have a question about ants I find" Ant list, Is there a resource (or would someone be willing to create one--say even just a paragraph) telling people what to do if they have a question about ants they find? I realize that perhaps no one wants to be inundated with dozens of requests, but if there are accessible (e.g. online) guidelines, at least some calls may be avoided, & some time saved overall. For example: -when to call someone, when not to (e.g. based on the kind of ant you have; e.g. if it stings/bites you, someone probably wants to know about it) -who to call -what to do (e.g. how to collect ants: put them in alcohol? just put them in a film canister dry? how to pick up/collect biting/stinging ants? who to send them to?) A "What do I do?" factsheet format would be very nice. Any volunteers? (or answers to any/all of the above questions so that maybe I could [eventually] create one myself?) afn, pt@hear.org -- Philip A. Thomas pt@hear.org Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR) http://www.hear.org ---------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2001 00:39:31 -1000 From: "Philip A. Thomas" Reply-To: pt@hear.org Organization: Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR) To: Laine Cc: "HAG ant list (antlist)" Subject: Re: feedback from HEAR's ant page Thanks for the feedback. I agree that it would be good to have sizes (& other info) with each of the pictures. Sizes of some are online at: http://www.hear.org/AlienSpeciesInHawaii/ants/antkey.pdf ...but they're scattered around the key & not with the pictures. Perhaps someone from the ant list would volunteer to help get together a list of sizes for all ants. Meanwhile, I'll put it on my "to do" list to collate the info I do have & get it with the online pix. Thanks also for getting specimens to Dr. Reimer. This will be useful, I'm sure. Aloha, pt@hear.org Laine wrote: > > Dear Philip, > Thank you for your prompt response. Unfortunately for me but fortunately > for the entomologists, I have an ample supply of ants from which I could > choose specimens. I'll collect some this weekend and send them to Mr. > Reimer. > By the way, when I reread my e-mail, I found my statement about measurements > wasn't real clear. Maybe I was groggy from the antihistamines I took to > treat my symptoms. So what I meant to say that it might be helpful to have > the ant pictures on the web site include not just their scientific names > but their measurements as well. That'd be great for people who, like me, > were doing an urgent search while waiting to talk to the doctor (about > allergic reactions to ant bites). > Thank you again for your help.! > > VR, > Laine > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Philip A. Thomas" > To: "Laine" > Cc: "HAG ant list (antlist)" > Sent: Saturday, July 21, 2001 11:48 AM > Subject: Re: feedback from HEAR's ant page > > > Dear Laine, > > > > Thanks for contacting HEAR about your ant bites. > > > > I've cc'd this message to some "ant people" who will know more about > > exactly how to deal with this situation. Hopefully, one or more of them > > will contact you directly. (If not, please ask Ellen Van Gelder > > [evangeld@hawaii.edu] for more details.) > > > > It's important that these ants get identified (as it is obvious that you > > already understand), so COLLECTING some of the ants is very important, > > if you can still find some of them. I'm not sure about the best way to > > collect them (e.g. just put them in a film canister, or put them in > > alcohol, or what...)... but hopefully one of the ant people can help you > > with that. For lack of more specific guidance from someone else, I'd > > advise you to send specimens to the Department of Agriculture (Neil > > Reimer, Plant Quarantine Branch, 701 Ilalo Street, Honolulu, HI 96813; > > nreimer@elele.peacesat.hawaii.edu, I think is his current e-mail > > address) for identification. > > > > Presumably, you have already seen the following websites, but just in > > case you haven't, check out: > > > > http://www.hear.org/AlienSpeciesInHawaii/ants/index.html#PictorialAntKey > > > > http://www.hear.org/AlienSpeciesInHawaii/ants/antphotos.htm > > > > Best wishes with your ID search; I'd be very interested to hear what > > results you come up with! > > > > Aloha, > > Philip A. Thomas > > pt@hear.org > > > > > > Laine wrote: > > > > > > Hi, > > > Some ants invaded my bed as I slept last night. (I live in Ewa > > > Beach.) I was bitten three times, almost simultaneously. I know they > > > weren't mosquito bites because not only did I find about a dozen ants > > > crawling around the sheets and night stand, but the swelling from the > > > bite was way bigger than from a mosquito bite. > > > > > > The ants didn't look like any of the ants in your website pictures. > > > They are slender, have a red head and thorax and a reddish black > > > abdomen and are about 1/8th inch long. What do you think they are? > > > Their bite and poison is very painful but not as painful as the > > > big-headed red ant. > > > > > > Anyway, it might be helpful to give the measurement of the ant so we > > > can identify the creatures in case we have to go to the doctor for > > > treatment for allergic reaction. > > > > > > Thanks. > > > Ms. Laine Skiendiel > > > Ant bite victim > > > > -- > > Philip A. Thomas > > pt@hear.org > > Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR) > > http://www.hear.org -- Philip A. Thomas pt@hear.org Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR) http://www.hear.org ----------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2001 08:43:01 -1000 From: evgarchive Subject: Re: "What to do if I have a question about ants I find" To: pt@hear.org Cc: "HAG ant list (antlist)" , "Loope, Lloyd" Hi Philip - With respect to general ant i.d. resources for the public, I believe the key and photos on the hear website are all we have right now. I will put together something for you (i.e. the "what do i do?" fact sheet) to put on the hear site. I would also like to sit down with you at some point for an hour or so and discuss hear's ant website, when you have some spare time. talk to you at the conference! ellen "Philip A. Thomas" wrote: > Ant list, > > Is there a resource (or would someone be willing to create one--say even > just a paragraph) telling people what to do if they have a question > about ants they find? I realize that perhaps no one wants to be > inundated with dozens of requests, but if there are accessible (e.g. > online) guidelines, at least some calls may be avoided, & some time > saved overall. > > For example: > > -when to call someone, when not to (e.g. based on the kind of ant you > have; e.g. if it stings/bites you, someone probably wants to know about > it) > -who to call > -what to do (e.g. how to collect ants: put them in alcohol? just put > them in a film canister dry? how to pick up/collect biting/stinging > ants? who to send them to?) > > A "What do I do?" factsheet format would be very nice. > > Any volunteers? (or answers to any/all of the above questions so that > maybe I could [eventually] create one myself?) > > afn, > pt@hear.org > -- > Philip A. Thomas > pt@hear.org > Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR) > http://www.hear.org -- Ellen VanGelder USGS/BRD, Haleakala Field Station P.O. Box 369 Makawao, HI 96768 808-572-4472 FAX 808-572-1304 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 02 Aug 2001 11:31:35 -1000 To: Hawaii Ant Group From: Dan Gruner Subject: document useful for RIFA rapid response plan? Please follow the below link from the federal General Accounting Office (GAO) to find a document entitled, "Invasive Species: obstacles hinder federal response to rapidly growing threat." I have not yet reviewed the document, but it looks like it may be very useful to our efforts. http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d01724.pdf (if you have a slow connection, I would recommend going simply to http://www.gao.gov/new.items/ and downloading the document directly) Cheers Dan ----------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 09 Aug 2001 10:56:36 -1000 From: evgarchive Subject: [Fwd: [pestnet] ants to bananas] To: "(Ant Working Group)" Interesting... (the second entry below). -ellen -- Ellen VanGelder USGS/BRD, Haleakala Field Station P.O. Box 369 Makawao, HI 96768 808-572-4472 FAX 808-572-1304 interesting couple of articles in New Scientist recently. banana bonanza (21 july 2001) Emile Frison director of INIBAP (mentioned in the article as a French charity; IPGRI will like that!!) talks about the Global Musa Genomics Consortium. A global team of institutes met recently to plan a 5 year project to map the banana genome. Of interest is that any invention developed by the consortium will be protected by patent and made available to small-holders through a royalty-free licence. It seems they will start sequencing wild-type bananas from east Asia, in the hope of identifying useful genes (eg resistance to black Sigatoka) for adding to edible varieties. Oxfam, though supportive, say that the socio-economic impact of any new varieties should be considered. INIBAP is the International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain the ant and the mandarin (14 april 2001) A very interesting article on the ant Oecophylla smaragdina, providing evidence that the Chinese have been using the ant in citrus orchids for centuries. The first record is a book on tropical and sub-tropical botany dated AD304! This mentions people selling the ant nests in the market. Later, in the 17th century there are records of farmers building walkways between the trees to encourage spread. In more modern times, with the advent of pesticides the ants were sidelined, because they protected mealybugs. However, it is now known that where the ants are present, the mealybugs are heavily parasitised, and so they (the ants) are back in vogue. grahame -- ================================================ 24 Alt street Queens Park NSW 2022 Australia Phone 612 9387 8030 Fax 612 9387 8004 E-mail: gjackson@zip.com.au ------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2001 07:44:23 -1000 From: evgarchive Subject: [Fwd: Fireants: "invicta" officially conserved for Red Imported Fire Ants] To: "(Ant Working Group)" FYI -- Ellen VanGelder USGS/BRD, Haleakala Field Station P.O. Box 369 Makawao, HI 96768 808-572-4472 FAX 808-572-1304 From: "Sanford D. Porter" Subject: Fireants: "invicta" officially conserved for Red Imported Fire Ants Sender: owner-FIREANTS@tifton.cpes.peachnet.edu X-Sender: sdp@pop3.nersp.nerdc.ufl.edu To: Multiple recipients of list FIREANTS Reply-to: FIREANTS@tifton.cpes.peachnet.edu Message-id: MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed X-SLUIDL: 610E1AA9-8CBC11D5-829800C0-0D00EDDE X-Mozilla-Status2: 00000000 I just received the official ruling (Opinion #1976) on our request (see Shattuck, Porter, and Wojcik 1999) to conserve Solenopsis invicta as the scientific name for the Red Imported Fire Ant. The vote was 20 to 2 in favor of conserving invicta and suppressing wagneri. The citation of the official opinion is: International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. 2001. Opinion 1976: Solenopsis invicta Buren, 1972 (Insecta, Hymenoptera): specific name conserved. Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 58:156-157. Please e-mail me if you have questions or need more details. -- Sanford D. Porter, PhD Research Entomologist USDA-ARS, CMAVE USDA-ARS, CMAVE P.O. Box 14565 1600 S.W. 23rd Drive Gainesville, FL 32604 USA Gainesville, FL 32608 USA Office: 352 374-5914 Secretary: 374-5903 FAX: 374-5818 E-mail: sdp@nersp.nerdc.ufl.edu For information about "FORMIS: a master bibliography of ant literature" (30,000 citations) go to: http://cmave.usda.ufl.edu/~formis/ ----------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2001 08:40:58 -1000 From: evgarchive Subject: [Fwd: [pestnet] Ants of Niue] To: "(Ant Working Group)" For anyone interested... -- Ellen VanGelder USGS/BRD, Haleakala Field Station P.O. Box 369 Makawao, HI 96768 808-572-4472 FAX 808-572-1304 Just published in Entomologist's Monthly Magazine, vol. 137 (2001), p. 139-143: C.A. Collingwood & A. van Harten - The Ants (Hym., Formicidae) of Niue, South West Pacific. Abstract: Ant material collected in Niue during April 1996 included 28 species, of which 14 are new records for the island. The total number of ant species known from Niue is now 35. Notes are given on the species, including information about biology, taxanomy and distribution. --------------------------------------- Tony van Harten Advisor Biological Pest Control General Department of Plant Protection P.O. Box 26 Sana'a Yemen Tel: (967)-1-413406 Fax: (967)-1-412539 Email: vanharten@y.net.ye -------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 21 Aug 2001 10:10:15 -1000 From: evgarchive Subject: meeting To: "(Ant Working Group)" Hi folks - I'm hoping we can have another meeting soon to discuss progress/updates on the current fire ant plan, funding options for implementation of the plan, wasmannia status, etc. How does meeting on Sept., 4th, or 5th, or 7th sound? -Ellen -- Ellen VanGelder USGS/BRD, Haleakala Field Station P.O. Box 369 Makawao, HI 96768 808-572-4472 FAX 808-572-1304 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Delivered-To: neale@bishopmuseum.org Subject: New Address for AntList To: neale@bishopmuseum.org From: "Pete Oboyski" Date: Wed, 22 Aug 2001 21:43:28 -1000 Neal, I don't know what system the Hawaii Ant Group list server uses, so I do not know how to unsubscribe. Can you have my email changed from Pete_Oboyski@USGS.gov to pt_oboyski@hotmail.com Thanks. Pete --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Peter T. Oboyski, MS Entomology USGS - Biological Resources Division Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center PO Box 44, Bldg. 344 Hawaii National Park, HI 96718 (808) 967-7396 ext.227 Pete_Oboyski@USGS.gov ------------------------------------------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2001 05:51:23 -1000 To: Hawaii Ant Group From: Dan Gruner Subject: PostDoc on Argentine ants Sorry, the formatting was toast when I received it. ------------------------------------------------- A two-year Post-Doctoral position and a scholarship for Doctoral work are available to examine the invasion and effects of Argentine ants in New Zealand. The positions are based within the School of Biological Sciences= at Victoria University of Wellington. Further information and methods of application can be found at http://www.vuw.ac.nz/~lesterph/ Post-Doctoral position. Research in this position will have applied and theoretical themes. We ai= m to assess the potential threat of Argentine ants to New Zealand biodiversity. This arrival of this species also allows theoretical questi= ons in invasion ecology to be examined. Several required and desired attributes are sought in the candidates. Required attributes include a PhD in a relevant discipline, evidence of t= he candidate=92s potential to write articles for scientific journals, and a = good knowledge of statistical procedures and the application of these analyses= to ecological data. Desired attributes in a candidate are experience with research in ant populations, an ability to work well in a team environmen= t, and experience with invasive species ecology. Knowledge of Geographic Information Systems, or a desire to learn these tools, would be useful. The position pays NZ$47,125 and the likely starting date for the successf= ul candidate is February 4, 2002. Doctoral position. A scholarship for Doctoral work is available within the School of Biologi= cal Sciences at Victoria University of Wellington (VUW). The scholarship is targeted towards creating a spatial, habitat specific model of Argentine = ant movement in New Zealand. Some latitude is available on the nature of the research topic. These scholarships are awarded on a competitive basis. Further information on both positions is available at http://www.vuw.ac.nz/~lesterph/ Thanks, Phil Lester. __________________________________________ Phil Lester, School of Biological Sciences Victoria University of Wellington, PO Box 600, Wellington, NZ. ph +64 4 463 5096, fax +64 4 463 5331 http://www.vuw.ac.nz/~lesterph --------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2001 08:47:39 -0500 To: antlist@bishopmuseum.org From: Charlotte Causton Subject: meeting to exchange ant experiences? Dear Ant members September is drawing near and I was wondering if anyone is interested in meeting up in Honolulu. I will be attending the biocontrol symposium from 17-21 September and have thursday 20th more or less free and would be very interested in getting together to chat about fire ant problems etc. Pat mentioned that you have a meeting planned for around that time- perhaps we could combine the two. Saludos Charlotte Charlotte Causton PhD Head of Department of Terrestrial Invertebrates/Jefe del Departamento de Invertebrados Charles Darwin Research Station/Estacion Cientifica Charles Darwin Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz Galapagos Islands Postal address/Direccion postal: A.P. 17-01-3891, Quito, Ecuador Tel/fax: +593 5 526 146/147 o 527 013/014 email: causton@fcdarwin.org.ec Web site:http://www.darwinfoundation.org/terrest/entomology/entomol.html -------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2001 07:56:04 -1000 (HST) From: Ellen M Vangelder Subject: Re: meeting to exchange ant experiences? X-X-Sender: To: Charlotte Causton Cc: antlist@bishopmuseum.org Charlotte/all - Thursday (20th) morning works for me. How about the rest of you? Does meeting on the morning of the 20th work? -Ellen On Fri, 31 Aug 2001, Charlotte Causton wrote: > Dear Ant members > > September is drawing near and I was wondering if anyone is interested in > meeting up in Honolulu. I will be attending the biocontrol symposium from > 17-21 September and have thursday 20th more or less free and would be very > interested in getting together to chat about fire ant problems etc. Pat > mentioned that you have a meeting planned for around that time- perhaps we > could combine the two. > > Saludos > > Charlotte > > > > Charlotte Causton PhD > Head of Department of Terrestrial Invertebrates/Jefe del Departamento de > Invertebrados > Charles Darwin Research Station/Estacion Cientifica Charles Darwin > Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz > Galapagos Islands > > Postal address/Direccion postal: A.P. 17-01-3891, Quito, Ecuador > > Tel/fax: +593 5 526 146/147 o 527 013/014 > email: causton@fcdarwin.org.ec > > Web site:http://www.darwinfoundation.org/terrest/entomology/entomol.html> ---------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 04 Sep 2001 15:22:06 -1000 (HST) From: Ellen M Vangelder Subject: Re: Ant meeting on the 20th X-X-Sender: To: Big Island Miconia Team Cc: antlist@bishopmuseum.org Ok all - Lets meet on the 20th Sept, 9am - noon. Same place? (Neil - is the conference room available?) -Ellen ----------------------------------------------------