"It's always a concern. Any time there's a newly introduced species to an area," said Chris Ziliotto, Lotusland Sustainability Manager.
Ziliotto says his staff is on alert after hearing news of a Red Imported Fire Ant Infestation in Montecito.
"The time that it takes to inspect things is so minuscule compared to the damage that can happen. If just a few invasive, pests make it on-site," said Ziliotto.
Based on the latest Santa Barbara County Crop and Livestock Report, red imported fire ants are 1 of 18 pests recently intercepted by county Pest Exclusion programs, so how were the Montecito ants not noticed?
"An area that's infested would normally be quarantined. But if they came from an area that has the ants but is not under quarantine, there is no trigger to notify the county," explains Stephanie Stark, Deputy Agricultural Commissioner.
The ants likely traveled in infested soil from a nursery in Riverside, according to the county, which says its working on eradicating this single infestation.
"It can take between, you know, 2 to 5 years and we'll continue monitoring after that," said Stark.
Tiny pests can create big problems says Pro Garden supply manager Mick Gallagher.
"We have special sprays and treatments for insects. Especially with citrus. Like the psyllid infestation that we dealt with, a little while ago. So everything's sprayed for that," explains Gallagher.
And if the infestation spreads…
"It just wipes out whole crops and they've got to essentially burn a lot of product when something like that happens," said Gallagher.
For information on how to report red imported fire ants in your area visit - https://www.countyofsb.org/266/Agricultural-Commissioner
