Hiari Ants - "It was a matter of time"

Recently the Yomiuri News on-line reported the following:

2017年07月17日 20時38分

ヒアリ「時間の問題だった」…横浜市が注意喚起

牧ふ横浜市中区の本牧ふ頭で１４日、南米原産の毒アリ「ヒアリ」が神奈川県内で初めて確認された。

　殺虫剤で駆除を終えているが、市は同日、発見現場から数百メートルの横浜港シンボルタワーに注意喚起の看板を設置した。また、市民らに対し、「見つけた場合は素手で触らず、市や環境省に連絡してほしい」と呼び掛けている。

　環境省の職員がコンテナの保管場所付近でアリを発見し、専門家がヒアリと断定した。地中に巣を作ったとみられ、サナギや幼虫なども確認された。市はコンテナに付いて運ばれたとみている。

　ヒアリは体長２・５～６ミリ。尻の毒針で刺されると、火傷(やけど)のような痛みを発症することから名付けられた。市は刺された場合、３０分程度は安静にして、異変があれば病院で受診することを勧めている。

　発見現場付近は、コンテナをトレーラーに乗せて運び出す作業場所で、業界団体の横浜港運協会は、「全国でヒアリが発見されていたので、横浜でも時間の問題だと思っていた。港湾従事者にはかまれないようにする予防策と、かまれた場合の対応策を徹底する」としている。

2017年07月17日 20時38分 Copyright © The Yomiuri Shimbun

(試譯文)
On the 14^th, at the Honmoku Pier in Mokufu of Yokohama City central district, South Africa's poisonous ant alias "Hiari" was confirmed for the first time in Kanagawa prefecture.

Although the disinfection work was finished using insecticide, on the same day the city set up a billboard at the Yokohama Harbor Symbol Tower to arouse attention. It was several hundred meters from the ant discovering site. Moreover, it asked citizens that “if you find it do not touch it with bare hands, contact the city and the Ministry of the Environment."

A staff member of the Ministry of the Environment discovered ants near the storage location of the container and the expert concluded that they were Hiari. It seemed that they made a nest in the ground, pupa and larvae were identified. The city regarded them to have been brought there by the container.

Hiari was 2.5 – 2.6 mm in length. It was named (Hi-ari = fire ant) because when someone was stung by its poisonous needle at its buttocks, a pain like a burn would develop. If a citizen was stung, rest for about 30 minutes. He was encouraged to visit the hospital if there was anything unusual developed.

In the vicinity of the discovery site there was a work place to carry the container on a trailer. Its industry organization the Yokohama Harbor Co-op Association said, "I thought it is a matter of time to happen in Yokohama because Hiari had been discovered nationwide, there should be measures to prevent people working in the harbor from being bitten by it and thorough measures to deal with it in case of being bitten."

It is surprising to note that the South Africa poisonous ants could reach Japan. Perhaps global warming could be responsible for this.