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KITV reports that a fire ant was found on a Maui farm. The fire is small but packs a mean bite. The insect is 1/16th inch long and is light orange in appearance. They aren’t fast moving like some ants. It can cause blindness if it bites your pet. The farm on Maui where the fire ant was found is in Waihee.

Dept. of Agriculture Image The fire ant was first found in Hawaii on the Big Island in 1999.

According to KITV:

"This type of ant can build multiple colonies that are all interconnected. So, it’s kind of hard to say it’s a big colony or not, but it appears to be covering about a half acre, which is actually a fairly small area. So we’re very hopeful we caught it early," Department of Agriculture Plant and Pest Control Branch manager Neil Reimer said.

Fire ants originate from South America and have been moving north for decades. Like most things they come to Hawaii by airplane or boat. Their main damage is destroying plants.

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