The red imported fire ant was first discovered in January 2005 in Tin Shui Wai. Since then, relevant government departments worked together to eliminate red fire ant populations found in areas or premises under their management. By the end of 2005, about 2 300 ant mounds had been found in over 90 sites in the northern New Territories and on Lantau Island. A preliminary assessment revealed that these ants had been in Hong Kong for some time, and their occurrence seemed to coincide with the planting of imported tree saplings or plants with soil from the Mainland.

The AFCD provided technical support on red fire ant control and specimen identification, disseminated control techniques and related information, and advised local farmers on monitoring and treating the ants. It also set up a geographic information system to map red fire ant distribution in Hong Kong.

An expert group, comprising local pest control experts, government officials and university researchers, was established by the AFCD to advise the Government on matters concerning the control of the ants.

The AFCD inspected over 500 nurseries throughout the territory and checked 1 600 trucks carrying imported plants with soil from the Mainland at boundary points to prevent the entry of red fire ants.