Yellow crazy ants 'are a widespread and extremely harmful invasive ant. The yellow crazy ant is native to Southeast Asia but has been unintentionally introduced to other parts of the Pacific, including Hawaii. It's home to the world's largest colony of red-tailed tropicbirds and is the only seabird habitat in over 570,000 square miles (nearly 1.5 million square kilometers) of open ocean. Johnston Atoll is a refuge for tens of thousands of seabirds from 15 different species, according to the U.S. 'For now, we celebrate that the refuge is once again a safe haven for the amazing seabirds that call this incredible place home.' Fish and Wildlife) Service will continue to focus on habitat restoration, preventing the spread of other invasive species,' said Stefan Kropidlowski, deputy superintendent for the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. 'While the mission of the Crazy Ant Strike Team is complete, the (U.S. The dogs sniffed nearly 120 miles without finding any ants, according to federal officials. After the teams killed off the yellow crazy ants, two dogs trained to sniff out the species were brought in to search the grounds. Volunteers and federal workers comprised so-called Crazy Ant Strike Teams that experimented with baits and other techniques to get rid of the pests. The ants spray formic acid on the birds, causing injuries including blindness and even death, Fish and Wildlife Service officials said. 'To ensure the eradication was successful, the teams have been monitoring, searching, and surveying for yellow crazy ants.'įor about a decade, the ants have threatened the seabirds by swarming their nests - and anything else on the ground. 'This is the first time an invasive ant species has been eradicated on such a large land area in the U.S,' said Kate Toniolo, superintendent for the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, in a statement. The ants stalk seabirds on the uninhabited atoll and prevented nesting on about 70 acres of land. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Wednesday that the ants have been successfully removed from Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. HONOLULU - An invasive species known as the yellow crazy ant has been eradicated from a remote U.S.

Johnson atoll