The Jinkerson Stairs in Chilliwack will be temporarily closed on Monday, Sept. 28 to deal with an infestation of European fire ants.
Crews from City of Chilliwack will be working in a section near the top of the stairs starting on Monday to clear the area of the sometimes aggressive ants.
Fire ants were first reported in Chilliwack about six years ago, and believed to have arrived around 2010 in Canada.
European fire ants have been confirmed near the top of the Jinkerson Stairs. Weather permitting, the stairs will temporarily be closed starting Monday, September 28 as crews work to get rid of these ants. pic.twitter.com/Vdab5N46Ns
— City of Chilliwack (@City_Chilliwack) September 25, 2020
The non-native ants are known to swarm in large numbers if their nests are disturbed, in the thousands, and can bite. European fire ants are known to invade the landscape and colonize it with highly dense nests, and can displace native ants.
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