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The Orange
County Fire Ant Authority (OCFAA) is a division of the Orange County
Vector Control District. The program is funded by the State
of California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), through
a contract with the County of Orange. When Red Imported Fire
Ants were discovered in Orange County (October, 1998), CDFA immediately
took action to eradicate this pest. The CDFA began surveying
and treating areas in Orange and other counties. This original
survey identified the two locations of infestation within Orange
County. One area is in Cypress, Los Alamitos, and Buena Park, the
larger infestation is in the south county, around Rancho Santa Margarita,
Mission Viejo and Coto de Caza.
The Orange
County Fire Ant Authority has been in operation since the January
20, 2000 and has since located and treated over 20,000 RIFA sites,
including all of the original CDFA identified locations. OCFAA
has worked to create a RIFA-free zone between Orange County and
Los Angeles County, to reduce the possibility of reinfestation.
OCFAA
is part of a cooperative project which includes the CDFA, neighboring
counties, the County of Orange, cities, industry, and the residents
of Orange County. This eradication effort cannot be successful
without help from the public, so a large part of our effort is aimed
at public outreach. We need YOUR help in locating RIFA, so if you
think you've located a possible mound, please take the time to do
one of the following:
1) Conduct
our own PEST TEST.
2) Provide
information to operators using the toll free Fire Ant Hotline at
1-888-4FIREANT.
3) Fill
out the online
submission form.
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