After the beginning of summer, it is time for various insects to be active. There is an invasive alien species, called the red fire ant, which is also currently in the active stage, having invaded 12 provinces. How is it different from a regular ant? What are the deadly hazards?
Mr. Li, a citizen of Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, was bitten in a vegetable garden near his home, and his clothes were relatively thin on the hot day, and many ants climbed onto his arms and feet, and he was in pain for only a few minutes. It was the invasive alien species that bit Mr. Li, the red fire ant.
Mr. Li said that he had a fever all the time after biting, which was the same as a chemical reaction, which was particularly painful, and the ground was full of red fire ants.
Coincidentally, according to media reports such as the Yangtze River Daily, some citizens feel dizzy after being bitten, and the bite area will still itch for a long time.
According to experts, red fire ants are an insect native to the Americas, which was introduced to China from Guangdong around 2000. It is currently distributed in 12 provinces. Red fire ants were found in Wuhan in 2018, mainly in Caidian, Hongshan, Zhuankou and other areas. It often appears in grass, farmland, wasteland, roadside, parks, etc., and its biggest feature is that the fine particles of soil chips dug out of the ground are piled into a mound-like ant nest, and the inside is honeycomb-shaped, while the nest of ordinary ants will not be raised.
Dong Likun, a senior engineer at the Wuhan Academy of Landscape Sciences, said that red fire ants have an impact on the environment and will occupy the space of ants.
Unlike ordinary ants, red fire ants are very aggressive. When a red fire ant stings, it will release venom, and the sting will have a burning pain, followed by redness, swelling and suppuration, and individual allergies may appear in shock or even die.
Dong Gong suggested that red fire ants will go out of their nests, and the public should try to avoid being attacked.