Red imported fire ants with painful bites have taken hold in Europe

Dozens of crimson imported hearth ant nests have been present in Sicily, Italy – an indication that the invasive bugs have change into established in Europe.

The crimson imported hearth ant (Solenopsis invicta) is a venomous species that initially comes from South America. Since it was first described by science in 1916, the species has unfold around the globe, together with to Australia, China and the US, primarily as a result of imports of soil and crops from its native area to different nations.

“It’s considered one of the worst invasive species,” says Mattia Menchetti on the Institute of Evolutionary Biology in Barcelona, Spain. For individuals, crimson hearth ant bites could be extraordinarily painful as a result of their venom, which some individuals might even be allergic to, he says.

Red hearth ants additionally pose a menace to nature by preying on different species, comparable to birds and reptiles, and displacing native ant species.

Local reviews of painful ant stings from across the coastal metropolis of Syracuse on the island of Sicily have been circulating for just a few years, says Menchetti.

He and his colleagues went to gather samples of the culprits and rapidly recognized them as S. invicta. The group discovered a complete of 88 crimson imported hearth ant nests unfold over 4.7 hectares within the space.

DNA from these ants was discovered to be most much like crimson imported fires ants in China and the US – a clue that the now established Sicily inhabitants might have come from both of these nations.

According to the group’s fashions, the ants may unfold to 7 per cent of Europe beneath present environmental circumstances, though local weather change may enhance their vary additional. They are probably to unfold to heat, well-connected areas, comparable to coastal Mediterranean cities. But city areas throughout the continent, together with Paris and London, could also be appropriate for the species to thrive as a result of their many warmth sources, comparable to buildings.

Menchetti’s group is working with authorities to proceed monitoring the area and to determine the extent of the inhabitants, which is able to information eradication plans.