Eurasian ants threaten European invasion

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Feb. 26 (UPI) -- A Danish-led study has found Eurasia ants are threatening to become the latest species to invade Europe as a result of inadvertent human introduction.

Sylvia Cremer of the University of Copenhagen, working with colleagues at the University of Regensburg in Germany and Britain's University of Keele determined the invasive garden ant Lasius neglectus might be more widely established than thought.

Cremer studied colonies of ants in 14 locations across Europe using genetic, chemical and behavioral analyses to investigate the similarities between colonies to reconstruct the route of invasion and dispersal strategy of this pest ant.

"Many more infestations of the garden ant are likely to have taken place already, but have remained undiscovered due to the usual lag phase for invasive species to become established," she said.

The native range of invasive garden ants is unknown but is thought to be in the Black Sea region. One hundred populations are already known in Europe and might eventually extend from Scotland to Japan.

The research is published in the online BioMed Center journal Biology.