![]() They are known to attack people, plants, and animals they also cause damage to homes, buildings, air-conditioning units, and telephone wires. The red imported fire ant is particularly aggressive. The imported fire ants are very aggressive, and have been known to repeatedly attack animals that intrude on their nests. Head width never exceeds the abdomen width, even in the largest workers. Workers have the same body proportions from the tiniest to the largest. ![]() Worker fire ants are dark, small, highly variable in size, aggressive, and sting relentlessly. They average 1/8"-1/4" (0.025"-0.25") in length and are reddish-brown to black in color. "We need coordinated action, and we need it now.Scientific Name: Solenopsis invicta Burenįire ants resemble ordinary ants. ![]() "There needs to be more awareness about this problem because the problem is already in Europe," says Menchetti. The specialists would then double-check to confirm that it's the right ant species-an important step because many European ants make similar-looking nests. Invicta and take photos if they think they've found the ants. The team hopes to organize citizen science programs in which people would look for S. This will help us track and spot all the possible areas invaded in the region." "We hope that, with their help, we will be able to cover a wider area. "Citizens can play a very important role in this," says Menchetti. The authors stress the importance of getting the public involved as much as possible to help monitor the ants' spread. Then, they'll begin a multi-year treatment plan to eradicate the nests and monitor the invaded sites carefully to make sure there aren't any resurgences. To start, they'll systematically inspect local areas to see if the species has already reached them. Given that the only place that has successfully eradicated the invaders is New Zealand, the researchers plan to base their interventions on what worked there and on efforts currently underway in China. Credit: Institute of Evolutionary Biology "This is especially concerning because many of the cities, including London, Amsterdam, and Rome, have large seaports, which could allow the ants to spread rapidly to more countries and continents," says senior author Roger Vila, who is also from the Institute of Evolutionary Biology in Spain. In fact, 50% of Europe's cities are vulnerable to invasion. They also found that urban areas are particularly at risk. invicta given current environmental conditions, and climate change will likely expedite their spread and population growth even further. They also put together a comprehensive model to determine how suitable the rest of Europe and the Mediterranean area will be for the species-and whether climate change will be a factor.Īccording to the model, 7% of the European continent is suitable for S. Next, the authors analyzed the local wind patterns in Sicily to see how the ants might spread now that they're in Europe. invicta got into Italy, after analyzing the DNA of the Sicilian queen ants and comparing it with the genomes of ants from all over the world, the researchers concluded that this particular population likely came from either the US or China. Although they couldn't determine how exactly S. invicta's first point of arrival in Europe. We could not believe our eyes when we saw it." "For decades, scientists have feared that it would arrive. "There are a vast number of alien ant species currently establishing in Europe, and the absence of this species was kind of a relief," says Menchetti. Europe has evaded them for longer than expected, say the researchers. But humans have also helped it spread both through the maritime trade industry and by shipping plant products, enabling it to establish in Australia, China, the Caribbean, Mexico, and throughout the United States in less than a century. invicta has spread quickly, flying into wind streams to travel farther on the local level. invicta's name comes from the ant's most infamous characteristic-its stings-which are painful and, occasionally, may cause anaphylactic shock.Īlthough it originated in South America, S. "Finding this species in Italy was a big surprise, but we knew this day would come."Ĭommonly known as the imported red fire ant, S. It can spread alarmingly quickly," says lead author Mattia Menchetti of the Institute of Evolutionary Biology in Spain. invicta is one of the worst invasive species. The ants could soon spread all over the continent, the researchers warn, which could cause major environmental, health, and economic problems in Italy and beyond. In an article published in the journal Current Biology on September 11, a group of ant experts confirm that the species has made its way to Sicily-the ant's first official sighting in Europe.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |