biodiversity
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The Animal Libé file “Libé” shows scientists' warning about the presence of this invasive species on the Italian island, which poses a threat to health and crops. His arrival highlights the failure of the European biosecurity system.
In his orchard of fig and orange trees in Avola in autumn 2023, restaurateur Gioele Li Gioi remembers the day he first encountered the insect. “I was in the garden when I felt something climbing up my calf.” If we don't know, this Sicilian does: The fire ant arrived in Europe – and perhaps a long time ago. In September, a paper published in the journal Current Biology revealed the presence of 88 nests near Syracuse. This Monday, January 22, the same researchers assure in the same scientific journal that the particularly invasive species has indeed gained a foothold on the southwest coast of the island since at least 2017. A warning that Libération has decided to speak out about.
Native to South America, the 2 to 6 mm reddish-brown insect that wreaks such havoc in the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, China, Japan and Australia could be confused with black ants from our gardens. But that's where the similarity ends. Because Solenopsis invicta is one of the most destructive invasive species in the world