The Steam Vents parking lot in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park will be closed from 8 a.m.-noon March 14 for the treatment of little fire ants.
The Steam Vents parking lot in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park will be closed from 8 a.m.-noon March 14 for the treatment of little fire ants.
In late 2018, park scientists made the unwelcome discovery of little fire ants in the park. Three acres of the popular Steam Vents area is infested with the ants.
Little fire ants are a major threat to native species, including other insects and birds, as well as humans. No bites have yet been reported in the park.
Only the Steam Vents parking lot and the trail from the parking lot to Wahinekapu (Steaming Bluff) will be closed; Wahinekapu and Crater Rim Trail will remain open. The park will treat Steam Vents every six weeks and announce closures in news releases, on the park website at www.nps.gov/hawaiivolcanoes and via social media.
The goal is to completely eradicate the ants from the area.
“We are optimistic that our efforts to eliminate LFA from this site will be successful, and we again remind the public to check their vehicles and belongings to ensure they do not inadvertently bring LFA into the park,” said park ecologist David Benitez.
For more information about little fire ants, how to control them and how to prevent spreading them, visit www.littlefireants.com/.
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