May 28, 2025

VDACS Announces Expansion of Virginia’s Imported Fire Ant Quarantine
~ Businesses within quarantine area must certify regulated articles are free of invasive pest ~

Richmond, VA - The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) announces that Virginia’s Imported Fire Ant Quarantine was expanded today to include the counties of Chesterfield, Lee, Nottoway, Pittsylvania, Prince George, and Surry, and the independent cities of Colonial Heights, Danville, Hopewell, and Petersburg.

Recent VDACS surveys for the imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta Buren and Solenopsis richteri Forel, and their hybrids) indicate that this invasive pest has become established in the newly quarantined areas. Once established, the imported fire ant has the potential to spread to uninfested areas, either through natural means or through human-assisted movement of infested articles. Expansion of the quarantine is necessary to slow the spread of this insect pest to un-infested areas of the Commonwealth.

To prevent the human-assisted spread of this pest, under provisions of the quarantine, regulated articles are prohibited from moving out of the quarantined area unless they are certified as free of imported fire ant. Regulated articles are those which are a risk for movement of imported fire ants to un-infested areas and include, but are not limited to:

• Any life stage of imported fire ant.
• Soil (except soil shipped in original containers after commercial preparation).
• Plants with roots with soil attached and rhizomes with soil attached.
• Grass sod.
• Used soil-moving equipment (unless free of all non-compacted soil).
• Used farm equipment (unless free of all non-compacted soil).
• Hay and straw stored in direct contact with the ground.
• Honey bee hives stored in direct contact with the ground.
• Logs and pulpwood with soil attached.

Businesses located in quarantined localities that are shipping to locations outside of the quarantined area are required to follow the USDA-approved treatment and shipping options, which are outlined in the Quarantine Treatments for Nursery Stock, Grass Sod, and Related Materials manual. The manual can be found on the USDA website at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/fireants/downloads/IFA_nursery.pdf.

Businesses may enter into a compliance agreement with VDACS to facilitate shipping those regulated articles in accordance with the quarantine. To see if your location is in the Virginia Imported Fire Ant Quarantine, view the most updated map at https://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/pdf/fire-ant-quar-map.pdf.

Imported fire ants are an invasive species in Virginia and have an impact on agriculture and natural resources by damaging crops, agricultural equipment, and impacting wildlife. As an urban pest, imported fire ants are a nuisance pest and can cause allergic reactions including rare instances of anaphylactic shock in humans.

For additional information regarding the Virginia Imported Fire Ant Quarantine or provisions of a VDACS imported fire ant compliance agreement, please visit https://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/plant-industry-services-imported-fire-ant.shtml.