In an Odisha village, venomous fire ants have caused havoc and forced residents to leave their houses. To investigate the phenomenon and assist the locals, scientists have arrived in the village.
At Brahmansahi village in the Pipli block of Odisha’s Puri district, venomous fire ants have caused havoc and driven residents from their houses. To assess the problem, a group of scientists, pest controllers, and administrative personnel travelled to the community.
Out of the 26 families who live in the community, three have decided to leave their homes because of the threat. Ant swarms are visible everywhere throughout the community, including on buildings, walls, trees, roads, and open spaces.
In the entire hamlet, including trees, roots, sand, wood piles, mud-walled homes, and electrical boards, insects have begun to establish colonies.
While moving about the village at night, villagers have been spotted covering their feet with polythene sheets.
Some people said that the poisonous red ants were invading their homes from a nearby canal’s embankments.
A group from the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), a neighbourhood Block Development Officer (BDO), and pest controllers also arrived in the village at the same time to assess the situation. Most areas were rid of the ants, and now measures are being made to stop their expansion. The OUAT team has collected ant samples for analysis.
IMPROPER HYGIENE INSIDE MENACE
In an interview with India Today, Puri Collector Samant Verma explained that a team of scientists had visited the area for a study and discovered that the ants grew rapidly due to poor cleanliness.
“It has been urged that the residents tidy up their surroundings. The crew took ant samples and advised using insecticides, the speaker stated.
“The ants invaded our homes in legions and assaulted us,” a peasant exclaimed. After being bitten by ants, a lot of people — including kids and elderly women — have gotten illnesses, skin rashes, and irritation.
An additional villager said, “The ant problem was so bad that we started painting circles around ourselves on the floor while eating at our dwellings.
SCIENTISTS ADVISE THE ERADICATION OF QUEEN ANTS
Sanjay Kumar Mohanty, a senior scientist at OUAT, claimed that formic acid emitted by ants may be the cause of some villagers’ skin irritation.
The colonies must be destroyed, and the queen ants must be removed. It would be carried out using science,” he assured.
The area has long had ant colonies. We don’t know how it became worse, though,” Sanjay Kumar Mohanty continued.
“I have never seen such a horrible species of ant in my entire life. These ants not only attack humans, but also lizards, frogs, centipedes, snakes, cats, and dogs. Some dwellings’ mud walls have already begun to house the toxic insects, according to a resident.
Prasanta Patnaik 
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