In this decade economical activation in Asia would cause not only globalization of logistics, but also introduce diverse organisms into Asia. Some of the creatures will cause serious problems in this region. Particularly, ants are one of the most harmful invasive pests because it is difficult to detect early stage of invasion and almost impossible to eradicate them once colonies are established. The notorious Argentine ants and Solenopsis fire ants, which are native to South America, already established stable colonies in Asia. Therefore, several research groups in Japan have conducted unique researches such as establishing chemical-ecological management techniques without usual pesticides and investigating invading factors from ecological, genetic and behavioral aspects. In this meeting we introduce up-to-date findings of these researchers and discuss application of definite management plan of invasive species in Asia.

Commentator: Koichi GOKA (NIES)