Venomous fire ants have wreaked havoc at Brahmansahi village in Pipli block of Odisha’s Puri district, forcing people to flee their homes. A team of scientists, pest controllers, and administrative staff reached the village to take stock of the situation.
A total of three families out of 26 families residing in the village have abandoned their houses due to the menace. Hordes of ants can be seen everywhere in the village, from houses to walls, trees, roads, and open areas.
The insects have started making colonies in every corner of the village, including trees, roots, sand, wood piles, mud walls of houses, and electric boards.
Villagers were seen covering their feet with polythene sheets while moving around the village at night.
According to some villagers, the deadly red ants were creeping into their houses from the embankments of a nearby canal.
Meanwhile, a team from the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), local Block Development Officer (BDO), and pest controllers arrived at the village and took stock of the situation. The ants were eradicated from a majority of places and efforts are on to contain their spread. The OUAT team has taken samples of the ants for testing.
POOR HYGIENE BEHIND MENACE
Talking to India Today, Puri Collector Samant Verma said a team of scientists had visited the village for a study and they found that, due to lack of hygiene, the ants multiplied exponentially.
“The villagers have been requested to clean their surroundings. The team collected samples of the ants and recommended the use of pesticides,” he said.
A villager said, “The ants entered our homes in legions and attacked us. Many people, including children and elderly women, have developed infections, skin rashes, and itching after being bitten by the ants.”
“The ant menace reached such a point that we have started drawing circles around us using insecticide chalks on the floor while having meals at our houses,” added a villager.
SCIENTISTS RECOMMEND ELIMINATING QUEEN ANTS
However, OUAT Senior Scientist Sanjay Kumar Mohanty said skin irritation among some villagers could be due to formic acid released by ants.
“We will need to destroy the colonies and will have to eliminate the queen ants. It will be done scientifically,” he said.
“Ant colonies are not new to the locality. However, we have no clue how it got worse,” added Sanjay Kumar Mohanty.
“In my entire life, I have never seen such an atrocious species of ant. Besides human beings, these ants also attack lizards, frogs, centipedes, snakes, cats, and dogs. The poisonous insects have already started dwelling in the mud walls of some houses,” said a villager.