Ants are 'taking over' Europe

An ant species originating from the Black Sea region has invaded more than 100 areas in Europe and is heading north. If not blocked, they will flood into northern Germany, Scandinavia and even England.

Lasius neglectus.Photo: antweb.org.

Lasius neglectus, this scary ant species, slaughtered local ants whenever they flooded into a new land. They have appeared in most areas of Asia. In Europe, scientists first discovered them in 1990 when they entered Hungary. The rapid movement of Lasius neglectus in Asia and Europe is the most typical proof of the level of danger at the global level of an ant species.

Lasius neglectus has a look quite similar to the black ants that we often meet in the garden, but their nests have a number of worker ants that are hundreds of times higher than the black ants. They usually settle in parks and gardens after slaughtering local ants.

"When I saw Lasius neglectus for the first time, I couldn't believe my eyes. They grew very fast and could create many nests on the same lawn," said Jacobus J. Boomsma, an expert at the University of Copenhagen (Dan). Circuit), speech.

The ants of ant Lasius neglectus are linked together to form a network. Each nest has a princess and they never rise to the surface. This ant species can't fly. So how do they go to another continent? The answer is simple: They go into the trees that humans carry on ocean-going ships.

"In the future, our children and grandchildren will continue to witness the expansion of many ants. So it is time for us to understand them in order to find a countermeasure," said Jes S. Pedersen, a specialist. Ecological family of Copenhagen University, Denmark.

Ants are capable of living anywhere on Earth because they have extremely high adaptability. For example, ants living in urban areas can withstand high temperatures - a characteristic of cities. About the faculty, there are about 20,000 species of ants all over the planet. The mass of ants in the Brazilian Amazon region may be four times the total volume of all mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians there.

When coming to a new area, ants become aggressive and cause adverse impacts on native fauna and flora. Every year, the US lost about 750 million USD because of the damage caused by fire ants. In California, the armies of the Argentine fire ants pushed the majority of local ants into extinction.