First-time European Sighting of Invasive Red Fire Ants That Can Inflict Painful Stings and Pustules Raises Concerns of Potential UK Swarm

A plague of red fire ants, described as “one of the world’s most invasive species”, could soon invade the UK, a new study warns.

While the species is native to South America, it has been seen in Europe for the first time, raising fears that it could soon spread across the continent.

Their bite is painful and can cause unpleasant pustules and allergic reactions, possibly leading to anaphylactic shock.

Scientists are now asking the public to help limit the spread of the insect.

“Citizens can play a very important role in this,” said Mattia Menchetti of Spain’s Institute of Evolutionary Biology. ‘We hope that, with your help, we can cover a wider area. This will help us track and detect all possible invaded areas in the region.’

The red fire ant, or Solenopsis invicta, was seen in Sicily, the first time it has been officially sighted in Europe.

‘S. invicta is one of the worst invasive species,” said Mr. Menchetti.

«It can spread with alarming rapidity. Finding this species in Italy was a big surprise, but we knew this day would come.”

Their fiery name comes from their painful stings, which can leave pustules on their victims.

The creature originated in South America, but has spread rapidly through various methods, including flight into wind currents, maritime trade, and shipping plant products.

Apart from Europe, it has already been able to establish itself in Australia, China, the Caribbean, Mexico and the United States.

“There are currently a large number of exotic ant species established in Europe, and the absence of these species was something of a relief,” said Mr Menchetti.

‘For decades, scientists have feared it was coming. We couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw it.’

The team was alerted to the arrival of the ants in Sicily and decided to travel there to see them with their own eyes.

Their tests revealed 88 nests in an area of ​​4.7 hectares, some of which house thousands of ants.

And it doesn’t seem like the bugs are new to the area, as many locals reported being bitten regularly for several years.

“Locals have been experiencing these painful things since at least 2019, so the ants have probably been there for a while,” Menchetti said.

“And the actual extent of the invaded area is probably larger.”

To understand how the species arrived in Sicily, the team analyzed the DNA of queen ants and compared it to the genomes of ants around the world.

This revealed that this particular population arrived from the United States or China.

Now that the ants are in Italy, researchers have created a model to predict where the species will spread next.

According to the model, seven percent of the European continent is suitable for this species, a figure that will increase thanks to climate change.

In particular, urban areas are at high risk of infestations, with 50 percent of European cities, including London, vulnerable.

“This is especially worrying 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,” said Roger Vila, lead author of the study.

The only country that has successfully eradicated red fire ants is New Zealand, and researchers say Europe should base its own interventions on what worked there.

Initially, scientists will survey local areas to see if the species has already reached them.

They will then begin a multi-year treatment plan to eradicate the nests and monitor invaded sites to ensure there are no resurgences.

The team also says citizens can do their part to help by taking photos if they think they have found ants.

“There needs to be more awareness about this problem because it is already in Europe,” concluded Mr. Menchetti.

“We need coordinated action and we need it now.”