According to a survey conducted by the airport operating company, the "Argentine ants" native to South America, which have extremely high fertility and are designated as specific alien organisms, are breeding in large numbers at Osaka Airport.
According to the Ministry of the Environment, it is the first time that mass breeding of ants of specific alien organisms has been confirmed at domestic airports, and experts said that "there is a risk of getting into electronic devices and cables and causing abnormalities", and immediately take measures. Point out to take.
According to the operating company of Osaka Airport and Itami City, what was found on the premises of Osaka Airport was an "Argentine ant" native to South America with a body length of about 2.5 mm, which is designated as a specific alien organism.
On the 29th of last month, a survey was conducted on a site of more than 10 hectares on the west side of the airport, and it was found in almost the entire area, and a large number of individuals were confirmed in facilities such as warehouses.
In many cases, many nests with more than tens of thousands of individuals have been identified and are believed to have been breeding for several years.
According to the Ministry of the Environment and others, it is the first time that a large number of ants, which are specific alien organisms, have been confirmed to breed at domestic airports.
Koichi Goka, director of the Ecological Risk Assessment and Countermeasures Laboratory of the National Institute for Environmental Studies, said, "Because of the habit of gathering in electronic devices and cables, there is a risk of short-circuiting or causing abnormalities in devices such as air traffic control. There is a possibility that it has already invaded other airports through aircraft and has become established, so urgent investigation is needed. "
The airport operator will conduct a full-scale investigation and control in the future.
Argentine ants Extremely high fertility Japanese native ant destroyers
"Argentine ants" are small brown ants that are native to South America and are about 2.5 mm long.
According to the Ministry of the Environment and others, invasion was confirmed for the first time in Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture in 1993, and it has been confirmed to be established in 1 metropolitan area, 2 prefectures and 9 prefectures to date.
Argentine ants have a large number of queen ants in one nest, are extremely fertile, and have a large impact on the ecosystem such as exterminating native ants, so they were designated as specific alien organisms in June 2005.
Compared to fire ants, which are the same specific alien species, they have no poisonous needles and do not pierce humans, but Koichi Goka, director of the National Institute for Environmental Studies, who is familiar with alien species, said, "Airport, movement between people and things. It is important to take a serious look at the increasing number of alien ants entering areas where safety should be a top priority. "
He added, "It is necessary to assume the spread to other airports and areas by invading the area of the airport where many cars and luggage come and go, including aircraft," he said, expressing concern about the risk to the ecosystem. He also emphasized the need for urgent investigation and control.