Japan’s secret weapon against invaders from Hong Kong, China: flaming wasabi

Fire ants, which are native to South America, are an aggressive breed of ants whose bites can induce anaphylactic shock, and in extreme cases, death

But researchers from Japan may have just discovered the Achilles’ heel of these venomous creatures, after discovering that exposing them directly to wasabi killed them all

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Japan’s secret weapon against invaders from Hong Kong, China: flaming wasabi

Published: 3:30pm, 4 Mar 2019Updated: 7:49am, 5 Mar 2019

Scientists in Japan have discovered a new weapon that could be deployed in the battle against fire ants that are infesting the country: spicy wasabi.

Fire ants, which are native to South America, are a venomous breed of ants whose bites can induce anaphylactic shock, and in extreme cases, death.

The government is desperate for ideas to stop the venomous, invasive and quick-breeding insects from further multiplying ever since they found their way into Japan via shipping containers three years ago.

A large-scale invasion of fire ants is known to decimate local insect populations. Photo: SCMP

Port officials in Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe and Nagoya discovered colonies in containers imported from Hong Kong, mainland China and Southeast Asia in the summer of 2017.

A queen fire ant can produce as many as 1,600 eggs in a single day and the insects can grow up to 6mm long. It is feared that a large-scale invasion of fire ants could decimate local insect populations.