The total area in Taiwan affected by exotic red fire ants has increased by nearly 50 percent since 2003, but despite the growing infestation, the government budget for pest control was cut from last year’s NT$40 million (US$1.36 million) to NT$20 million this year.
Listed among the world’s top 100 most-invasive species, the ants, native to South America, were discovered in Taiwan in 2003 and have alarmed residents by quickly spreading through urban areas in Greater Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli and Chiayi counties.
The ants not only pose a serious threat to Taiwanese ecology, but the necrotizing alkaloid in their venom can cause a blister or pustule — which earned them their name — that can cause a person to go into shock or can even be fatal if the person is allergic.
Photo: Chen Tsan-kun, Taipei Times
In 2004, the Council of Agriculture (COA) established a national red exotic fire ant prevention center tasked with containing the spread of the ants within a 36,000-hectare radius, but last year the center increased its containment area to 55,000 hectares.
According to the center, in 2007 there were 1,619 known locations of red fire ant activity, but last year known locations had increased to 2,440. The center said that in five years, Hsinchu County alone had seen an increase from 23 locations to 244, while New Taipei City (新北市) saw a 250 percent increase in ant activity, going up from 177 locations to 453.
National red fire ant prevention center director Huang Rong-nan (黃榮南) said that when the ants were accidentally introduced to Australia in 2001, the total infected area stood at about 60,000 to 70,000 hectares. The Australian government assigned a team of 600 people to combat the pests, and even used planes to spray a pesticide to contain them.
Taiwan, on the other had, has insufficient manpower to contain the ants, he said.
Huang Chi-sen (黃基森), a professor at National Taipei University of Education’s Program of Environmental Education and Resources, has been monitoring the activities of the ants for many years. Huang said that because of Taiwan’s geography, prevention and control of the ants would prove to be difficult.
“Now that the funding has been slashed, I’m afraid that it will be increasingly difficult to contain the ants,” he said.
The government should not give up, Huang said, because between 7 million and 8 million people live in the infested area. Huang said that the US suffers US$5 billion in losses per year because of the ants.
In response to why the COA was slashing funding for ant prevention, Fei Wen-chi (費雯綺) of the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine said the budget cut was the result of financial troubles at the central government.
Despite the financial difficulties, the budget was still enough to ensure high-level prevention and containment, Fei said, adding that the council would employ alternative methods to contain the ants.
“We have adjusted our strategies for this year,” she said. “While Taoyuan County will be under full prevention and containment as a ‘heavy disaster’ area, the bureau will treat other infested areas as hotspots and adjust its strategy accordingly.”
Translated by Jake Chung, staff writer
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
President William Lai (賴清德) should protect Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), and stop supporting domestic strife and discord, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrote on Facebook yesterday. US President Donald Trump and TSMC on Monday jointly announced that the company would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next few years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US. The TSMC plans have promoted concern in Taiwan that it would effectively lead to the chipmaking giant becoming Americanized. The Lai administration lacks tangible policies to address concerns that Taiwan might follow in Ukraine’s footsteps, Ma wrote. Instead, it seems to think it could