According to a study published this Monday in the journal “Current Biology”, at least 88 nests of this invasive ant species have been detected in Sicily, Italy. According to models, several countries could be affected in the coming years.
Black rat, water hyacinth, tiger mosquito… many exotic species are considered invasive and have serious consequences on biodiversity. One of them, the Solenopsis invicta, sometimes called fire ant, has arrived in Europe, indicates a study published this Monday in the journal Current Biology.
Originally from South America, this species of ant is on the list of invasive alien species of concern for the European Union. Measuring two to six millimeters long, these red insects attack vertebrates and invertebrates and their bites can be very painful in humans.
“A catastrophe on the scale of the entire planet”
Although small, the fire ant causes “a catastrophe on the scale of the entire planet”, alerted the deputy director of the CNRS Institute of Ecology and Environment, Philippe Grandcolas, to TF1 in early September. “It is a species that literally scares away vertebrates in the environments where it is found, which makes these environments almost inaccessible, including for humans.”
“They are known to have one of the most irritating venoms in the world,” we can also read in an article in the National Georgraphic.
“Fatal for small animals such as birds, the sting of the fire ant is in principle not lethal for humans, but some medical reports have reported several deaths caused by anaphylactic shock following a sting. Solenopsis invicta”explains the media.
Many cities on the Old Continent affected by 2050?
Fire ant colonies can number thousands of insects, Mattia Menchetti, co-author of the study, told Italian television. He and his colleagues explain that 88 fire ant nests have already been identified in the province of Syracuse, Sicily.
The cause of their arrival on the Italian island is unclear, with shipping likely to blame.
Mattia Menchetti calls for action now to get rid of the insect, because according to the study models, in current climatic conditions, scientists estimate that the fire ant would have the capacity to establish itself on approximately 7% of the European territory.
“Half of Europe’s urban areas are already adapted and global warming will favor the expansion of this invasive ant,” they write.
If the species comes from South America, it has already spread to North America, Asia and Oceania. In the United States, “the authorities now spend more than 6 billion dollars (5.6 billion euros) per year to control the population of these insects”, explain our colleagues from West France.
Source: BFM TV
