A team of researchers from the University of Gerona in Spain found that
huge numbers of insects are shipped across the world unwittingly. The
researchers also warned that a lot of insects were establishing the
colonies in new habitats, which in turn could be disadvantageous for the
human health, infrastructure and environment.
The lead author
of the study Veronica Miravete explained that because of the small size,
a lot of ants were transported involuntarily in the boxes and
containers along with ornamental plants, wood, fruits and soil via the
airplanes and the ships.
The research team found out about the
numbers of exotic ants in New Zealand, the US and the Netherlands. A lot
of these ants were discovered than what had been reported earlier. It
was estimated that 768 exotic ant species were introduced in the world
through the trade routes. Out of these, around 600 species have already
established their own new colonies in the different places of the world.
Veronica Miravete, in the meanwhile, also explained that the
number of ants which were arriving was very huge and around 85 percent
of the newly introduced species of the ants were establishing themselves
very successfully. The research indicated towards the fact that a lot
of newly introduced species were living around the humans and that these
were still undetected.
It is important to note that all the
animals which move to the new regions are not a threat to the
environment and the human health, but some of these animals pose serious
threats and wreak havoc. Invasive ants are among those animals which
pose a threat.
The aggressive Argentina ants have built their
own mega-colonies in Europe and they are also out-competing the
population of local ants. This in turn can ripple the entire ecosystem.
In the meanwhile, in the US, there is an invasion of the South America's
Rasberry crazy ants, which in turn causes a lot of problems because
these insects swarm inside the electrical equipment. Another concern is
that of the spread of fire ants.
The researchers explained that
there was a need of halting the spread of the pests like these because
in case the exotic ants establish their colonies in new regions, it
becomes difficult to eradicate them.
In order to curb this,
there are certain methods such as black lists, quarantine inspections
and pre-border risk assessments. However, the major focus needs to be
done on the shipping routes from the regions where there is higher
probability of introduction of these exotic species of ants.
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