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Red Imported Fire Ants at Long Valley 塱原也有紅火蟻
« on: Apr 9th, 2005, 3:38pm » |
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Below is a message from Dr Billy Hau, Assistant Professor,
Department of Ecology and Biodiversity, University of Hong Kong
I went bird watching at Long Valley yesterday and got the oriental Pratincole (see attahed). Unfortunately, I also came across a lot of active fire ant mounds. This time, not only from along the maintenance road of the drainage channel but inside the crop field of Long Valley along the mud bunds. The mound concentration is higher towards the maintenance road but I have also seen some farther away, actually, next to the bandoned wetland where the snipes nest and forage.
This is a case of concern as the fire ant is known to attack ground nesting birds overseas. I haven't got anything to collect samples but the mounds do look like those of the RIFA (though I cannot rule out the possibility that they are the tropical fire ants). I have informed AFCD and they will check and confirm.
Anyway, both species give nasty stink bites and bird watchers have to be particularly careful because if you step on a nest accidentally while you are watching a bird, you can get 100s of ants on your feet and it is not funny. I intend to post a message up at the HKBWS news group to warn the bird watchers but do not know how to do that. Can someone help?
Billy
港大生態學及生物多樣性學系助理教授侯智恆博士給鳥友的資訊
昨天到塱原觀鳥，見到普通燕[行鳥]，可惜也見到很多紅火蟻的蟻丘。這次的蟻丘不單只限於排水渠維修車路旁邊，而是連區內菜田的土堤上面都有。愈接近車路蟻丘愈多，距離車路遠一點的地方也有，並且擴散到一片有沙錐營巢和覓食的廢田濕地。
這個發現令人擔心，因為在外地紅火蟻會攻擊在地面上營巢的雀鳥。雖然我當時沒 有收集樣本的容器，但看來蟻丘屬於入侵紅火蟻（Red Imported Fire Ants）（我也不能否定那些並非熱帶火蟻(Tropical Fire Ants)）。我已經通知了漁護署，他們會檢查確認。
無論如何，那兩種火蟻叮人都很痛，鳥友尤其要小心，如果觀鳥時無意中踏上蟻丘 ，可能會有數百隻蟻爬到你的腳上，那可不是好玩的。我想在鳥會的網上新聞組貼 文警告鳥友，但是不知道怎樣做，有沒有人可以幫忙。
Billy
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