CountyofSantaBarbara
RIFA are a threat to Santa Barbara County’s Agricultural Industry & Natural Environment
The Santa Barbara County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office is responding to an active infestation of Red Imported Fire Ants (RIFA), Solenopsis invicta, in the Montecito area.
The infestation is believed to have originated from the importation of RIFA-infested nursery stock shipped from Riverside County in September 2023. Santa Barbara County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office staff are conducting regular surveys of the property impacted with oversight and collaboration from the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE), and Riverside County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office staff. Appropriate treatments are also being conducted by a licensed and registered pest control business based upon UCCE guidance and with oversight by Santa Barbara County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office staff.
The RIFA is native to South America, but has established itself in parts of Southern California, particularly the quarantined areas in Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside Counties. These ants pose an immediate threat to California’s agricultural economy because they require a quarantine of nursery products. The quarantine is to prevent the ants from being accidentally shipped in potting soil to new areas.
There are currently no RIFA quarantines in Santa Barbara County and this is the only known infestation in the County. Nursery products are a large part of Santa Barbara County’s agricultural economy, ranking second in value (below strawberries) in the 2023 Santa Barbara County Crop and Livestock Report at $122,301,000. Crop Reports | Santa Barbara County, CA – Official Website (countyofsb.org)
RIFA are highly aggressive in nature, and are capable of biting and stinging humans, pets and livestock, typically in defense of their nest/colony. The venom from RIFA stings can cause painful pustules on the skin, and can be particularly dangerous, even fatal, to sensitive groups or those with an allergy to the venom.
The stinging behavior is hazardous to fieldworkers and poses a significant risk to California agriculture via it’s feeding on a wide variety of hosts, especially turf in both residential and institutional settings. RIFA can clog irrigation systems, and damage electrical wiring. There are native fire ants and argentine ants that are not hazardous and the quickest way to distinguish RIFA from other ants are their aggressive behavior, not color or size.
Community members who believe they may have found RIFA are encouraged to contact any of the Santa Barbara County Santa Barbara County Agricultural Commissioner’s Officesor bring in a sample. To find out more about RIFA click on this link.
