Little Fire Ants are not widely established on Kauai and any suspect ants should be collected and reported to the Kauai Invasive Species Committee.
We need your help Kauai! If we find them early, we can stop them before they take over. LFA have been detected in the nursery industry across the state including nurseries on island. Test all your plants and landscaping to ensure your plants are free of LFA. Collect ants from your property and send them for identification at least once a year to find them before they find you. Testing is easy, pick up a free kit at local libraries island-wide or request a kit here.
Kauai LFA Site Updates
ERADICATED: Sites that have undergone successful treatment and have been ant-free for at least five years.
- Kalihiwai: 11 acres. LFA were first detected in the Kalihiwai area in 1999. Control efforts kept it contained until effective eradication methods were developed for LFA. The Hawaii Ant Lab, HDOA, and KISC’s multiyear eradication effort was successful with the last little fire ant detected at the site in January 2019.
MONITORING: Sites have undergone the treatment cycle and no LFA were detected once treatment was completed. Monitoring surveys continue for at least 5 years to ensure successful eradication.
- Kilauea: 2.5 acres. Kauai’s second known LFA population was detected in 2019. Initial treatment has been effective with the last LFA detected in March 2020. Additional monitoring surveys are needed to confirm.
- Lihue: <1 acre. A single ant was detected in a sample submitted in June 2024. Initial surveys resulted in no detection of LFA at the site. KISC will continue to monitor the site to ensure no LFA population becomes established.
ACTIVE: Sites that are undergoing delimiting surveys to determine their population size and/or are being treated.
- Moloaa: 13 acres. 2021.
- Wailua: 35+ acres. 2022.
- Koloa/Omao: 52+ acres. 2022
- Princeville 1: 2.4+ acres. 2023
- Princeville 2: 11.1+ acres. 2023
- Kalaheo: 9+ acres. January 2024
- Puhi: 28+ acres. March 2024
- Kilauea 2: 6+ acres. August 2024
- Kilauea 3: 1 acre. September 2024
- Makaleha: 4+ acres. September 2024
- Kilauea 4: 1+ acres. September 2024
- Kalihiwai 2: 1+ acres. September 2024
EARLY DETECTION SURVEYS: LFA are spread primarily through the movement of infested material to new locations. KISC conducts surveys island-wide at high-risk sites annually to aid in the early detection before there is widespread LFA establishment on Kauai. Sites include green waste, nurseries, airports, harbors, and other high-risk sites across the island. You can also participate in early detection surveys by testing your property or business annually and submitting samples to KISC for identification.
Kaua’i Locations where Free LFA Collection Kits are available:
Free kits can be found at any of our local libraries (Princeville, Kapaa, Lihue, Koloa, Hanapepe, and Waimea). Kits are also available at:
- KISC office: 7370K Kuamoo Rd, Kapaa HI 96746
- Alternatively, you can easily test for LFA using materials already available at home: all you need is some chopsticks, peanut butter, and a ziplock bag. Click here for sampling instructions. Or Click here to watch a short video on how to test.
*Farmers and large land owners, please contact KISC for larger survey kits. Call us at 808-821-1490 or email [email protected]