One of the most invasive species in the world is Solenopsis invicta, a red fire ant species with a painful sting. Native to South America, the ant has established itself across the globe.
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. The ants could soon spread all over the continent, the researchers warn, which could cause major environmental, health, and"S. invicta is one of the worst invasive species. It can spread alarmingly quickly," says lead author Mattia Menchetti of the Institute of Evolutionary Biology in Spain.
"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."For decades, scientists have feared that it would arrive. We could not believe our eyes when we saw it." They found a total of 88 nests in a 4.7-hectare area next to a river, some of which housed many thousands of worker ants. After speaking with locals, the researchers learned that people in the Sicilian region had been getting stung—and frequently—for several years."The locals have been experiencing these painful things since at least 2019, so the ants have probably been there for a while," says Menchetti."And the real extension of the invaded area is probably larger.
"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.
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