WATCH: That invasion of nasty fire ants we’ve been telling you about in Metro Vancouver — shows no signs of slowing. The stubborn pests are now popping up in virtually every municipality across the Lower Mainland. And as John Hua reports, they’re also causing problems for air travelers.
They haven’t appeared in earnest yet this year.
But officials in Metro Vancouver aren’t taking chances when it comes to European fire ants.
The invasive species, which were first spotted in B.C. in 2010, have become a bigger and bigger problem every year in Metro Vancouver.
READ MORE: The ‘Impressive’ Fire Ant is now invading B.C.’s Lower Mainland
In recent weeks CP Rail has been incinerating the removed soil along the Arbutus Line tracks, and will also burn the rail ties, in hopes of avoiding another outbreak this year – although people with property along the route fear it will just make things worse.
Last year YVR saw 71 collisions between swallows and planes, as the ants caused a feeding frenzy for birds in the area. The airport is looking at ways to improve the situation this year.
“They can be a challenging species to manage because they can be so widespread over a wide area of habitat,” says David Bradbeer, a YVR wildlife specialist. He says poisons aren’t effective in eradicating the entire nest, so they’re working to control the bird population to limit disruptions this summer.
“Any solution we come up is going to have to take into account the expanse of the airfield.”
– With files from John Hua
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