Alarm in Hesse: Menacing ants are plaguing buildings and infrastructure!

Alarm in Hesse: Menacing ants are plaguing buildings and infrastructure!

What's going on in Hesse? The mess that has been occurring again and again lately with the invasive ant speciesTapinoma magnum, better known as the large gland ant, causes a lot of excitement. This species is spreading rapidly and now poses a real threat to the infrastructure and health in various regions. This is reported Fulda newspaper that the ants are alarmingly present in places like Darmstadt, where specimens have already been spotted, and in hotspots like Kehl, where there have even been power and internet outages.

The environment ministers from Baden-Württemberg and other federal states agree: There needs to be a national list of invasive species! The goal is clear: preventive measures should prevent these ants from being introduced from the Mediterranean region via plant balls. In Kehl we are already systematically checking what comes from the Mediterranean. TheTapinoma magnumis currently not on the EU list of invasive species, which makes combating it even more difficult.

The threat is increasing

The distribution of this ant species should not be underestimated. Jörg Burkard, the deputy chairman of the NABU district association in Fulda, points out that the distribution centers are concentrated in southwest Germany. Of particular concern is the fact that these ants form huge supercolonies with hundreds of thousands to millions of animals and can even invade homes. This will cause quite a bit of unrest if the ants spread unhindered.

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

Challenges for nature conservation

Despite the seriousness of the situation, combating invasive species in Hesse faces major challenges. There is a lack of money and staff among the responsible nature conservation authorities. Detecting and controlling new invasive species in particular is a laborious undertaking that tends to go poorly rather than well. With so much insufficient recording, it is no wonder that the number of unreported cases of many invertebrates and lower plants is high.

In view of these alarming developments, it remains to be seen how politics and nature conservation will proceed. The threat of invasive species is not just a question of wildlife, but also has far-reaching consequences for our health and the economy.