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Profile picture of a Solenopsis invicta
ENVIRONMENT – This is one of the worst invasive alien species. The Solenopsis invicta, or more commonly known as the “fire ant,” is firmly established in Europe, according to a study published Monday, September 11, in the journal Current Biology. News that comes just a week after the publication of the IPBES report on invasive species and their threats. Until now, Europe had been spared from this species of ants, and their arrival does not bode well for biodiversity.
What is special about this species of ant?
Fire ants are native to South America but have also spread to Australia, China, the Caribbean and the United States. According to the DNA tests carried out, the specimens found by the study’s researchers in Sicily also come from the USA, China and Taiwan. How did they get to Europe? If researchers are unsure, it is very likely that this is thanks to sea transport.
The special thing about this ant is its painful sting. “They are known to have one of the most irritating venoms in the world,” says a National Geographic article. Although it is not dangerous to humans in itself, it can still cause anaphylactic shock.
But above all we have to worry about our ecosystems and agriculture. In fact, the fire ant is a predator and “in the places where it settles, it leads to a reduction in the diversity of invertebrates and small vertebrates,” explains Mattia Menchetti, co-author of the study, to the Italian television channel Rai. “Thanks to the poison contained in their sting and colonies that can reach hundreds of thousands of individuals, these ants can attack young, weak or sick animals,” he explains. In the United States, the damage they cause to the agricultural sector and efforts to contain them cost $6 billion per year.
How do you get rid of it?
The study’s researchers identified 88 fire ant nests in the Syracuse province of Sicily. While this may not seem huge at first glance, researchers’ predictions are more worrying. These suggest that 7% of the European continent would be suitable for their installation, particularly European cities as half are affected. Worse still, these numbers could rise with climate change.
The solution would therefore be to successfully eradicate fire ants before it is too late. If Sicily has already taken action, the fight risks becoming complicated. According to a Nature study, Solenopsis invicta is the fifth-worst invasive species in terms of economic damage caused worldwide, and so far only New Zealand has managed to completely eradicate fire ants. Australia, which has already invested millions of dollars in the operation, continues to fight this invasion, which has spread over 600,000 hectares.
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