The red fire ant ( Solenopsis invicta ), one of the most dangerous ants in the world, has also established itself in Europe. This small invasive species causes serious environmental damage, and its venom produces painful stings that can cause skin pustules and serious (even fatal) reactions.
Originally from South America, this insect has become a pest in the southern US (where it accidentally arrived in 1930), Australia, Taiwan, the Philippines and the southern Chinese province of Guangdong. Monitoring its expansion has become a matter of international scientific interest. And now a study led by experts from the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE), joint center of the Superior Council of Scientific Research (CSIC) and Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), has documented for the first time the existence of nests of ‘this species in Europe. Specifically, as detailed in the magazine Current Biology, 88 nests of the red fire ant have been identified in about five hectares near the city of Syracuse, in Sicily, Italy. The invasive colonies could come, according to the study’s genetic analyses, from China or the US, where it is also an invasive species.
The research has been led by Roger Vila, scientist at the IBE, while the first signatory of the article is Mattia Menchetti, INPhINIT La Caixa predoctoral researcher at the IBE. In addition, researchers from Creaf, the University of Parma Studies (Italy) and the University of Catania have participated.
Ecological models foresee the colonization of this ant in Europe, favored by climate change.
Solenopsis invicta is causing “a major impact on ecosystems, agriculture and human health”, highlights the IBE. “Its bite is painful and irritating, and can generate pustules and allergic reactions, it can even produce an anaphylactic shock”, recalls this research center based in Barcelona.
In less than a century it has become established in much of the USA, Mexico, the Caribbean, China, Taiwan and Australia, and has only been eradicated in New Zealand. The presence of this species in the United States causes an estimated loss of around six billion euros a year, while countries such as Australia allocate millions to eradicate it, although still without success. Prior to this study, specimens had been occasionally intercepted in imported products in Spain, Finland and the Netherlands, but had never been confirmed to have become established in Europe.