Electric ant, Little fire ant

Habitat

• It occurs in a range of habitats from urban settlements, fields to undisturbed forests
• Twigs and leaf litter are used for nesting substrates in nature
• In houses it can infest beds, furniture, and food
• Nests are frequently found behind the sheaths of palms or palmettos
• Under heavy rain, nests can be moved into buildings or trees
• In colder climates it inhabits greenhouses and thermally controlled buildings

Description

• Worker ants are sterile females, 1-2mm long, golden brown in colour with a body covered in long erect hairs
• Adults have a pair of longitudinal ridges that extend from the front to the back of the head
• Antennae are made up of 11 segments with the last 2 enlarged into a club
• Queens reach 4.5mm in length and have a dark reddish-brown colouration
• They can form super-colonies that span hundreds of kilometres
• Gives a painful sting which can subdue vertebrate and large invertebrate prey
• Used for pest control in cocoa plantations in Gabon and Cameroon

Origin and Worldwide Distribution

• Native to Central and South America
• Introduced to parts of Africa, Australia, the Middle East, North America, Canada and some Caribbean and Pacific Islands
• In Europe it has been found in Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom, as a greenhouse pest
• First discovered in Kew Gardens greenhouses in 1907

Potential or Known Impacts

• W. auropunctata is associated with the decline in biodiversity of native reptiles, birds and insects
• Known to outcompete and displace native ants
• The sting harms humans and can blind domestic pets
• When present in houses they can infest beds, furniture and food
• They enhance the populations of honeydew-producing insects, which are a crop pest themselves

Is it found in Northern Ireland?

• It is not currently present in Northern Ireland

How could it get here?

• Introductions are a result of the accidental human transport of soil and other materials containing colonies
• Commonly spread between plant nurseries via infested potted plants, which are traded locally and globally
• Spread via the transport of infested logs and lumber
• Once present, colonies can disperse naturally via floating vegetation or debris
• Hitchhiking on materials or in soil is the most likely reason for introduction today

Management/Methods for Prevention

• Prevention via enforcing the IAS (Enforcement and Permitting) Order (Northern Ireland) ensuring that W. auropunctata is not introduced to Northern Ireland
• Reporting any sightings so that Rapid Response can be instigated
• If Rapid Response is not successful, the only management is chemical control

Current Legislative Position (Listed on 02 August 2022)

• This species must not intentionally be brought into the Union; kept; bred; transported to, from or within the United Kingdom, unless for the transportation to facilities in the context of eradication; placed on the market; used or exchanged; permitted to reproduce, grown or cultivated; or released into the environment.

Species Related Files:

RA_Wasmannia_auropunctata_Electric_ant