Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The Independent State of Samoa has temporarily suspended the importation of fresh flowers from American Samoa and other countries that recorded the presence of Little Fire Ant (LFA), according to a public notice distributed in Samoa two days ago and received by Samoa News yesterday morning.

The notice was issued by the Samoa government’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) and Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF). And they are working with the Apia-based Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Program and its partners “to monitor the situation at hand and will try to prevent the LFA from entering Samoa”.

According to the notice, American Samoa has confirmed the presence of LFA in one of the areas within the territory. And such species is invasive in nature, very tiny, and at times, difficult to identify.

“The Little Fire Ant is dangerous for environment surroundings such as land, personal properties as well as human health,” the notice says, and advises the public — especially those traveling between American Samoa and Samoa — to adhere to precautionary measures to avoid the LFA from entering Samoa’s borders.

The public is requested to be especially vigilant at this time and to check all cargo — especially boxes, cooler bins, and agricultural produce — for small, orange colored ants.

“We have temporarily suspended the import permits for all fresh flowers and nursery stocks and any other planting materials for plants from American Samoa, Hawai’i, and other countries that recorded the presence of this Little Fire Ant, such as New Caledonia, Tahiti, Guam, Wallis & Futuna, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands,” according to the two Samoa government ministries.

Additionally, the two ministries are enforcing the use of low toxic insect sprays to apply on all incoming cargo from the aforementioned countries, at all entry points into Samoa — both sea and airports.

According to the notice, the public will be updated on the developments of these efforts. The notice is signed by the chief executive officers of the MNRE and MAF.

Officials in Apia say their counterparts in American Samoa, as well as the airlines serving the two Samoas, have been informed of this “important notice”.