Alarm in Hesse: Threatening ants plague buildings and infrastructure!

Alarm in Hesse: Threatening ants plague buildings and infrastructure!

Kehl, Deutschland - What's going on in Hesse? The mess with the invasive ant tapinoma magnum , better known as the big glandular ants, has caused a lot of excitement. This species spreads rapidly and is now a real threat to the infrastructure and health in different regions. So "https://www.fuldaerzeitung.de/fulda/exemplare-in-hessen-fuden-amise-ame-eme-dem-demarsch-erste-9375412.html" Target = "_ Blank"> Fuldaer Zeitung that the ants in places such as Darmstadt, where copies have already been spotted, and in hotspots such as Kehl, where there were even power and internet failures, alarming are present.

The environment minister from Baden-Württemberg and other federal states agree: a national list of invasive species must be found! The goal is clear: preventive measures are intended to prevent these ants from being introduced from the Mediterranean via plant bales. In Kehl, what comes from the Mediterranean is already systematically checked. The tapinoma magnum is currently not on the EU list invasive species, which also makes combating more difficult.

The threat increases

The spread of this type of ant should not be underestimated. Jörg Burkard, the deputy chair of the NABU district association Fulda, points out that the main areas of distribution in southwestern Germany are concentrated. The fact that these ants form huge super colonies with hundreds of thousands of animals to millions of animals and can penetrate themselves into houses is particularly worrying. This will bring a lot of unrest if the ants spread freely.

The high number of neobiota species in Germany also contributes to the current situation. Around 900 established neobiota are currently known, which makes up a small but considerable part of the approximately 74,000 established species. The largest group among them is plants, followed by invertebrates and vertebrates. But why is this rapid increase? An analysis of bfn.de shows that global trade and traffic are responsible for the increase.

challenges for nature conservation

Despite the seriousness of the situation, the fight against invasive species in Hesse faces major challenges. There is a lack of money and staff at the responsible nature conservation authorities. In particular, finding and controlling new invasive species is a tedious undertaking that runs rather badly than right. With so much insufficient recording, this is no wonder that the number of unreported cases is high with many invertebrates and lower plants.

remains to be seen how politics and nature conservation will continue. The threat of invasive species is not only a question of the flora and fauna, but also has far-reaching consequences for our health and the economy.