A home of electric ants was recently discovered in Croix-Valmer, in the Var. This is the second spotted in the department of the PACA region since 2022, a sign of the spread of the invasive species in Europe.
Electric ants are back in the south of France. A new home of the species was discovered at Croix-Valmer, in the Var, revealed France Inter this Monday, November 18, 2024. Owning a vacation home in the department, it was a father who launched the alert after detecting bites on his children, in particular his five-year-old son.
A first outbreak detected in the Var in 2022
This ant, by its scientific name Wasmannia auropunctata, had already been detected in Toulon in 2022. Originally from South and Central America, the species had been included on the list of invasive toxic species of concern by the European Union , that same year.
According to Olivier Blight, ant specialist at the University of Avignon, this species which “is spreading in Europe causes very significant damage to biodiversity”, reports franceinfo, especially because it attacks other insects and animals.
Also called “little fire ant“, it takes its name from the pain caused by its sting, similar to an electric shock. Orange-yellow, the tiny insect only measures approximately 1.5 mm.
France
