Pipili villagers see ‘red’ in ants: OUAT team visits spot, searches for queen

The villagers of Chandradeipur pachayat in Pipli block of the Puri district have been facing the ire of red ants for last two months. Lakhs of menacing red ants invade the houses and enter all possible places, making life miserable for the locals

Red Ants Crawling All Over The Road In Chandradeipur, Puri

A team of Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) scientists visited the Chandradeipur village in Pipili to examine the complaints of red ant invasion in the village making the life of locals miserable. Following the inspection, the scientists ascertained the reason behind such a massive onslaught by the army of ants and proposed ways to keep them away from the habitat. Speaking to reporters, OUAT scientist, Dr Sanjay Mohanty said, The village is surrounded by river and forest. The recent flood forced the ants staying in the river banks move upwards entering the village. Elaborating on the remedial measures, Mohanty said, We have advised the villagers to keep their surroundings clean. We will have to find their originating spot and hide out. Then we will spray pesticide in the 2-mtre radius of the ant mound. However, our primary objective is to find and kill the queen ant. She is responsible for the explosion of red ants in the area, said Mohanty. As per reports, the villagers of Chandradeipur pachayat in Pipli block of the Puri district have been facing the ire of red ants for last two months. Lakhs of menacing red ants invade the houses and enter all possible places, making life miserable for the locals.Frustrated by the attack by these creepy creatures, the villagers have complained several times at the local administration following which the local BDO visited the village to review the situation. Pipili BDO Rashmita Nath said, I spoke with the locals and found that they have tried many things to ward off the ants, but failed. I saw there were ants everywhere in the village. The ants possess danger for the children playing outside and even in the homes. I have contacted a pest control agency in Bhubaneswar and sent them the visuals of the ants. They are hopeful of controlling the situation provided they are allowed to employ a few more man power and resources as the number of ants is huge, said Nath. It is pertinent to mention here that, the menace of the red ants was so irritating that a few villagers have reportedly left their homes for safer places.