A threat to our way of life

It may seem to most locals that the foreign invaders just got here, but they actually started coming by the millions about 75 years ago.

Fresh from their native land, eager to raise their families and sponge off that which we have worked so hard to build, their numbers grew at a frenetic pace.

Now, they are an established presence, and it has been predicted that we may never get rid of them.

A few years ago, the Orange County Board of Supervisors even voted to spend millions of dollars to get rid of them. The plan worked and the creatures that came across our borders without passports or permission were subdued.

Then the funds were eliminated. Now, the illegals are back.

These illegals, while not foreign to Costa Mesa, will first have a preference for Newport Beach, thanks to the environment there. In Mission Viejo, they are already a problem once again.

The little buggers in this story are the red imported fire ants that became a frequent topic in this space when the alarm was sounded three years ago.

And in case you missed it then, here’s what you have to fear: In parts of the South, where these ants first entered the country, they have taken over backyards and forced residents to hold their barbecues in the street in front of their homes.

Life there has changed for the worse, mostly because the local governments did too little too late to stop them.

Fire ants are vicious. When attacked, they swarm and sting. A colleague, Howard Edgar, was attacked in such a way and will never forget it. Children can be particularly affected by their sting, to the point where they can become seriously ill.

Fire ants are prodigious breeders. In just one year, their numbers can multiply astro- nomically and their territory can spread miles in no time.

If fire ants take root here and you like golf, you can forget about your handicap because your favorite local course is the first place likely to be overrun.

In summary, I cannot emphasize enough what a disaster these ants represent to our area.

Three years ago, then- Supervisor Todd Spitzer was one of the champions of fire ant eradication and pushed hard for money to try to eliminate the pests.

It worked. Through a well- coordinated public awareness effort and what amounted to a paramedic-style response to fire ant sightings, fire ants were brought under control.

Then the supervisors, without Spitzer, who has moved on to the state Assembly, voted to shut off the money.

That was a very bad move.

I caught up with Spitzer by phone and asked him about the new round of fire ant fighting.

“The whole notion of eradication is all but lost because Southern California has chosen to sit on its hand and ignore warnings,” Spitzer said.

Sounds a lot like what happened in the South.

“There is very little leadership [on this issue] coming out of the Department of Food and Agriculture. And the governor’s office has so many balls in the air that if the issue is not on the forefront, it’s like it does not exist. I put up legislation to ensure [fire ant] funding, and the administration sent clear signals that they were going to kill the bill.”

Then Spitzer got to the heart of the matter.

“This is a public safety issue for me, especially for domestic animals and small children?. [Fire ants] also put a tremendous burden on those who import and ship agricultural products.”

I won’t deny that I may have egged Spitzer on. The consequences of fire ants gaining a foothold here make illegal immigration look like a walk in the park.

“When it comes to pests, this administration and probably every one before it is myopic,” Spitzer said. “Just like Measure M for Orange County, the state will abdicate its responsibility. That’s why we came up with Measure M.

“The state will continue to not fund for eradication. The county will have to do it even though it is the state’s responsibility. For five years, the state has had a chance to get its act together and they did not. Why? Because they can stick it to the counties and the nurseries.”

There is no way to exaggerate the drastic effects of life with fire ants. I urge you to call your county and state representatives today and tell ? don’t ask ? that you want fire ant eradication funds restored immediately.

That is, unless you like your barbecue on the street in front of your house.