鈥楨lectric鈥� sting fire ants found in France for first time
The invasive species from South America can sting the eyes of domestic pets, causing blindness
鈥楲ittle fire ant鈥� workers are only 1.2 to 1.5mm long, but deliver a disproportionate sting
Raja Sopan Purba / Shutterstock
鈥楲ittle fire ants鈥� 鈥� an invasive ant with a sting disproportionate to its tiny size 鈥� have been found in France for the first time.
Native to South America, Wasmannia auropunctata has a light-to-golden brown colour and should not be confused with other unrelated ants commonly called 鈥榝ire鈥� or 鈥榬ed鈥� ants.
Read more: French hornet attack: how to spot the insects and treat the stings
Nest found in Toulon, Var
One of them was identified in a house in Toulon, Var, this summer, and Olivier Blight, a researcher from Avignon university鈥檚 Institut m茅diterran茅en de biodiversit茅 et d鈥櫭ヽologie has since found a 鈥榮upercolony鈥�, consisting of separate but socially-connected nests, in an area of 100m around the house.
He has alerted the EU, which will set out a destruction strategy.
Similar but worse than nettle sting
The ants had previously been found only in Malaga, Spain, but have also been found in the UK.
Also known as 鈥榚lectric鈥� ants, they have a sting similar to, but worse than, a nettle sting that lasts several hours.
They can sting the eyes of domestic pets, causing blindness, and they are dangerous to biodiversity, being known to cause a decline in other insect species where they are present.
The workers are only 1.2 to 1.5mm long, yet the ants are nonetheless classed as one of the world鈥檚 worst invasive species.
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