‘Stung’ villagers in Puri dist declare war on ants

Bhubaneswar: Villagers and the local administration launched an operation on Tuesday to destroy habitats of red ants or fire ants that have infested Brahmansahi village in Chandradeipur panchayat in Puri district after the floodwaters receded.
Entomologists said there is nothing to fear from the ants as the infestation can be checked by applying insecticides.
“Fire ants have a burning sting and they live in colonies in cooler places under the ground. Their habitat gets destroyed when the rain and floods come and either they come out of the holes or shift their home to some other place. The ant infestation will be checked soon they make their new homes in a day or two or killing them is an option. Unless the queen ant and larvae are destroyed it is not easy to check the population,” said Sanjay Kumar Mohanty, entomologist and scientist at Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), who visited the place. The samples of the ants have been sent to the laboratory to ascertain their character, Mohanty added.
Swarms of ants infested every nook and corner of the village, including houses, roads, fields and trees, affecting normal life. Many have been bitten by these ants, causing swelling and irritation on the skin.
“All of a sudden we found these red ants everywhere. We are unable to eat, sleep or sit properly due to these ants and their stings are very painful. The children are unable to study due to the fear of ants,” said Renubala Dash, who shifted to her relative’s house to a nearby village. Block development officer (BDO) Rashmita Nath said such ants are not new to the area, but none thought that they could affect normal life.
The ant sting is causing skin irritation and swelling on human bodies and on domestic animals. However, no one has been hospitalised so far.
Cleaning of bushes and spraying of insecticides have been ordered, she said. Medical teams are also visiting the village to treat the affected people, she added. After cyclone Phailin in 2013, a similar incident happened in Danda village in Sadar block of the district, a scientist said.