Minister for Agriculture Rose Toki-Brown made this comment in Parliament last week in response to Akaoa Member of Parliament Robert Heather’s question.

Heather said the issue became more evident during island clean-up efforts targeting areas where mosquitoes breed.

“We noticed that there are a lot of ants living on the trees that we’ve been cutting, and I know that it is an issue to us,” Heather said.

He added that several methods had been attempted to eliminate the ants, including boiling water and insect spray, but the problem persisted.

“We have tried different methods of destroying the ants by using hot water or spraying with mortein, but they’re still around,” he said.

Heather also noted that ants had even been spotted inside Parliament.

“I can see the ants crawling on our chairs in this house.”

He asked the Minister of Agriculture if there were any plans to address the issue.

Toki-Brown said this issue was first identified last year, and samples were sent overseas for analysis to help determine an appropriate solution.

“We have not yet been able to obtain any suitable chemicals, and the advice we received was to first trial basic methods such as hot water, soap suds, and similar approaches before introducing any new substances.”
Toki-Brown said traps have been set in various locations on Rarotonga and in the outer islands.

She said the ministry has not had a chemical solution to eradicate the ants.

“The primary reason is our commitment to protecting our soil for organic agriculture; we do not wish to introduce chemicals that will ruin our soil.

“The Ministry continues to work on identifying safe and effective solutions, particularly for our growers who are being affected by this issue.”