Beware! The “strongest invasive pest on earth” is entering its active period

As the weather warms up, red fire ants enter their active period. Red fire ants are bright red in color and are an alien invasive pest that poses a serious threat to agricultural and forestry production, human health, and the ecosystem in the invaded areas. They were once called "the strongest invasive pest on earth."

Man in shock after being bitten by red fire ants

Recently, a man in Shixing County, Shaoguan, Guangdong was accidentally bitten by red fire ants when he returned home to visit his ancestors' graves. His limbs became weak and he could hardly walk. Fortunately, he was discovered by town and village cadres who were passing by.

The man was in shock when he was sent to the hospital, but fortunately he was rescued in time and has now recovered and returned to work.

Red fire ants and common ants belong to the family Formicidae, but they are invasive pests that prefer to build nests in farmland, woodland, lawns, green spaces, and even near lakes, fish ponds and other water areas. Although they are small and look very inconspicuous, if you accidentally disturb a red fire ant nest in the wild, you will face a large number of brave worker ants rushing out of the nest and quickly climbing onto your legs, arms and other parts of your body.

When stung by red fire ants, the human body will feel a burning pain. Generally speaking, most people only feel pain and discomfort, while a few people will be severely allergic to the protein in the venom, and will have a fever, temporary blindness, vomiting, shock or even death.

Zhang Lei, a researcher at the Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences: If you are bitten by a red fire ant, don't take it lightly. If conditions permit, quickly clean the wound with soap or water, and apply some allergy-relieving drugs such as steroids to reduce the pain and itching. However, if you have a fever or difficulty breathing, you must go to the hospital in time.

In addition to its ferocious habits, the red fire ant has a complex diet, including seeds, plants, insects, vertebrates, and even wire skin. It is also very competitive and can easily form high-density populations in newly invaded areas, which may cause serious harm to agricultural and forestry production, human health, public safety, and the ecological environment. Therefore, it is listed as one of the world's 100 most destructive invasive species by the World Conservation Union.

Guangdong has the largest outbreak area of ​​red fire ants

The worst-affected provinces

It is understood that Guangdong is the province with the largest area of ​​occurrence and the most serious damage of red fire ants. They are most active from March to May and from September to November every year. In Yunfu City alone, the funds used for the prevention and control of red fire ants reached 4.47 million yuan last year. However, due to the biological characteristics of red fire ants, the risk of spreading is still high.

Xu Yijuan, professor at the Red Fire Ant Research Center of South China Agricultural University: There may be more red fire ants in some newly built lawns and green belts. Because the invasion of red fire ants has been going on for a long time, they can be found in some wastelands, even farmlands and orchards.

Planning and production

Source: CCTV News

Editor: Yang Yaping

Proofread by Xu Lailinlin