1 Biodiversity Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki 305-8506, Japan 2 Institute of Natural and Environmental Sciences University of Hyogo /The Museum of Nature and Human Activities Hyogo 6 Yayoigaoka, Sanda-shi, Hyogo 669-1546, Japan. *E-mail: sakamoto.hironori@nies.go.jp 1. Introduction 2024 AIRIES is necessary it The red imported fire ant (RIFA; Solenopsis invicta), native to South America, is one of the most notorious invasive alien species, known for causing various extensive economic damage in the regions they invade. After invading the United States in the 1930s, RIFA began expanding into Asian countries in the early 2000s, establishing populations in China and several other countries. Recently, further dispersal has been observed from these newly invaded regions into Japan and South Korea, where the first RIFA invasions were reported in 2017. The primary RIFA invasion route into these countries has been through maritime logistics using sea containers. Therefore, to prevent future invasions and establishment of RIFA, the most critical measure for pre-invasion control is the development of “clean” maritime logistics systems that minimize the risk of RIFA transportation. We have been developing a RIFA repellent transportation technology utilizing allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), a natural insect-repellent compound derived from wasabi (Eutrema japonicum). To control the high volatility of AITC, we chose to utilize microencapsulated AITC (mAITC), which encapsulates AITC within resin microcapsules. After verifying the repellent and fumigant effects of mAITC against RIFA in small-scale experiments, we conducted trials using actual sea containers. These experiments demonstrated that mAITC effectively prevents the invasion of RIFA into cargo. The implementation of mAITC in maritime transportation is expected to play a crucial role in preventing the global invasion of RIFA while simultaneously reducing the risk of invasive alien species being introduced through maritime logistics. Key words: allyl isothiocyanate (AITC), container transportation, fumigation, invasive alien species, pre-invasion control, red imported fire ant (RIFA), repellent The red imported fire ant, Solenopsis The number of regions affected by RIFA invasions has increased dramatically since the 2000s. For example, RIFA was first discovered in Australia in 2001, in Taiwan in 2003 and in mainland China in 2004 (Wylie et al., 2020). In these countries, RIFA later became established Abstract and widespread (Wang & Lu, 2017; Wylie et al., 2020). With the increase in countries where RIFA is newly established, the number of unintentional introductions of RIFA from these countries elsewhere has also risen. In Asia, incidents of RIFA invasion have continued in Japan and South Korea since 2017 (Wylie et al., 2020). The primary source of RIFA’s introduction into these countries is assumed to be maritime transport using sea containers (Bertelsmeier et al., 2018). invicta, hereafter RIFA, is an invasive alien ant species originating from South America and is considered one of the most serious invasive alien species globally (Tschinkel, 2013; Wetterer, 2013; Wylie et al., 2020). Since invading the United States in the 1930s (Wetterer, 2013), RIFA, equipped with a venomous sting, is estimated to have caused continuous damage of approximately 6 billion U.S. dollars annually across a wide range of sectors, including human health, agriculture and electrical equipment, in the U.S. (Drees & Lard, 2006; Gutrich et al., 2007). Sea container transportation has 109 long been the recognized as a major high-risk pathway for unintentional introduction of alien species, particularly those with tiny body sizes, such as ants (Bertelsmeier et al., 2018; Inoue & Goka, 2009; Ward et al., 2006). In a single invasion case, up to 70,000 individual RIFA have been reported in Japan (Ministry of the Environment, Japan. 2024). As the speed of logistics continues to to develop increase, we believe Hironori SAKAMOTO1* and Yoshiaki HASHIMOTO2 Global Environmental Research 28/2024 109-115 printed in Japan Establishment and Application of Microencapsulated Wasabi Ingredients to Prevent Solenopsis invicta from Entering Containers
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