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BS: Asian Invaders in Your Garden
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BS: Asian Invaders in Your Garden |
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Subject: BS: Asian Invaders in Your Garden From: JohnInKansas Date: 11 Feb 13 - 04:57 PM Invasive species that don't fit in with our existing populations are a continuing problem. It's often difficult to know what's just a native thing you haven't seen, and when the new thing is actually an invader. A new (to me) species has been reported as "growing" in the US, and has some potential to be dangerous both to native critters and to people who run into them. The article at the link does include a picture of the latest nuisance, although those who might run into them may want to look for more detailed information. Stinging needle ants overtaking invasive Argentines in U.S. [Photo at link: Benoit Guenard / North Carolina State University An Asian needle ant stings a termite in this photo from North Carolina State University. The invasive species are displacing invasive Argentine ants.] By John Roach, Contributing Writer, NBC News 11 February 2013 A stinging ant from Asia is spreading with a vengeance across the United States and may prove more devastating to people and the environment than the well-established aggressive Argentine ant currently is, according to new research. "While Argentine ants cause a lot of damage, Asian needle ants are a really big health threat to humans," Eleanor Spicer-Rice, an entomologist at North Carolina State University , told NBC News. The invaders from Asia pack a venomous sting that can cause an allergic reaction in some people. Spicer-Rice said the sting produces small welts that get surrounded by a rash. It itches and hurts when scratched. "It is one of those aggravating bites," she said. In North Carolina, people routinely go to the hospital with severe allergic reactions "because they are reaching into a woodpile and getting stung by Asian needle ants and they don't know what it is and what is happening to them. They don't realize the Asian needle ants are here," Spicer-Rice noted. Spread of the needle Historic records indicate the ants were in the U.S. as early as the 1920s, but for reasons that are not yet clear, their population has exploded in the past 8 years and they are spreading across the country, Spicer-Rice said. She first took note of the Asian needle ants in 2008 while studying a supercolony of Argentine ants in Raleigh. This was unusual. Argentine ants are typically aggressive to other ant species and push them out of their territory. She started to investigate. Between 2008 and 2011, she found that Argentine ant populations dropped from a presence in 99 percent of the sites within her study area to 67 percent, while the Asian needle ants expanded from 9 percent to 32 percent. Both ants overlap in about 15 of the sites. Why? It appears that the Asian needle ants are able to tolerate cooler temperatures better than the Argentine ants, Spicer-Rice and colleagues report in a paper published online Feb. 8 in the journal PLoS One. All ants essentially hibernate when wintertime hits, but the Asian needle ants "wake up before other ant species wake up," Spicer-Rice explained. This head start allows them to build nests, find sources of food, and start reproducing before the other ants get going. This displaces Argentine ants in urban environments as well as native ants in forested areas. Ant eats ant? Other behavioral traits may also play to the Asian needle ant's advantage. For example, the Asian needle ants eat other ants. "While the Argentine ants aren't bothering the Asian needle ants for one reason or another, the Asian needle ants may be eating the Argentine ants," said Spicer-Rice, who is preparing a paper on the behavior of the ants for publication. For now, she said people need to learn what Asian needle ants are and that they may be in their yards. Her research shows that toxic baits are effective at killing the Asian needle ants. If widely used, it could slow their spread. And spreading the ants are. Spicer-Rice works on a citizen-science project called School of Ants where people send in ants collected in their backyards to North Carolina State University for identification. Today, "Asian needle ants are the most common ants found," she said. "Five years ago, nobody even knew what an Asian needle ant was." [It would have been helpful if the article gave some indication of where this invasion has been found. If it's only in a few southern states, perhaps it's just a Republican plan to get rid of "illegal Argentine immigrants," but the warning seems to be sufficiently dire to merit a look at whether they've reached our own areas of the US.] FYI John |
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Subject: RE: BS: Asian Invaders in Your Garden From: Bobert Date: 11 Feb 13 - 05:34 PM I don't know if these are the same as "fire ants" but we have 'um here in NC and they ***do*** sting... I put diesel oil on their colonies and light 'um... B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Asian Invaders in Your Garden From: JohnInKansas Date: 11 Feb 13 - 06:37 PM Fire ants are well known in my area, mostly what some people call the "Plains States," but the picture doesn't look much like any of the ones I've seen for fire ants. Of course much of the talk about fire ants is pretty much from the same kind of people who talk about all the water mocassins in Kansas (only one real mocassin identified - during a flood in 1872 - until they started moving north with the "warming" about five or ten years ago, but "they" have claimed they were all over the place here for a hunnert years). The "news" article suggests it may be time to see whether better info is out there somewhere, but it'll be a while before I get around to it. I've got plenty of nuisances I know about to tend to without lookin' for something new - until I meet one up close. John |
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Subject: RE: BS: Asian Invaders in Your Garden From: JohnInKansas Date: 11 Feb 13 - 07:58 PM Curiosity overwhelmed me: Pachycondyla chinensis, the Asian Needle Ant [This information appears at a "blog?" apparently by a person named Benoit Guenard. No organization affiliation appears anywhere that I found, but the URL includes ncsu.edu, assumed to be North Carolina State University(?).] People living in the southern part of the USA have heard and probably experienced the fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) and the Argentine ants (Linepithema humile). Those two ants cause serious economical, medical and ecological problems. Unfortunately a new invasive ant is spreading and people will have to learn how to recognize and handle it. Its scientific name is Pachycondyla chinensis, also called the Asian needle ant. How to recognize it? The Asian needle ant, Pachycondyla chinensis, is an insect, which means that it possesses 6 legs and 2 antennas. Like all ants, the giant needle ant will be find living in colony, usually those ones are composed of 400 individuals, but however, some can be much smaller (a few dozen of individuals) or much bigger (several thousands). But there over 170 species of ants in North Carolina, and all have their own characteristics that allow entomologists to recognize them. So how to identify Pachycondyla chinensis easily? Of course, the general appearance can help, but the way to describe it is small, black and skinny. The problem is that at least 30 species fit this description, so this is not really useful. However, there is one trick that can help to recognize it very easily. As you probably know, ants have the incredible faculty to go everywhere and especially to defy gravity. If as a kid, you have tried to catch ants and then put them in a jar, you have quickly noticed that climbing glass was not an issue for them. This is true for most ants in North Carolina, except… the Asian needle ant, Pachycondyla chinensis. This ant is a very bad climber and the walls of the jar are insurmountable obstacles for it. Realizing this experience is probably the simple way to recognize the Asian needle ant. This is how to do it properly. Firstly, when you collect the ants, be careful, because those sting and this is VERY painful! Place them into a container with vertical border and with a relatively slick surface, like a glass, a clean jam jar (the container must be clean), or a plastic box. Then put the container on a flat surface, like a table, and then look! If you can observe that the ants are struggling and finally failed to climb, there is a good chance that it is Pachycondyla chinensis. If the ants can climb and leave the container, so let them in peace, it is not Pachycondyla chinensis. However, here is a more precise description and some pictures to help you to recognize it and don't put all the ants you will meet in jars. The ants measure about 6 mm (0.2 inch), they are dark black with the tip of the body (where the sting is) which can be reddish-brown (but not always). The ant has a long and skinny body on which you can easily distinguish the head, the thorax, the node (one petiole in the middle) and the abdomen. If you are not sure, take a look to the following pictures (see the end of this page too). Once you think you got some, please contact us (zeroben (at) gmail.com) to update our database and verify their presence. A little bit of history. In 1934, the entomologist Marion Smith reported the presence of a species of ant native from Asia, Pachycondyla chinensis. The species was found two years earlier in several coastal localities of Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia. The distribution of 1934, let supposed that the ants were already introduced for a few years in North America. Pachycondyla chinensis was then described as having small nest size of a few hundred workers. Later on, in 1951, Smith described it has a species which does not have any economic importance. So, no interest was given to this new exotic from the scientific community or from the public, contrary to the famous Argentine ants and Fire ants that quickly reveals themselves as real pests. The story could stop here. However, in summer 2006, we discovered populations of Pachycondyla chinensis in different forests around Raleigh. Quickly, we realized that the presence of P. chinensis seemed to be linked with the absence of other common native ants. While most invasive species of ants, like Fire ants or Argentine ants, are found in areas disturbed by human activities, most of them can not establish their nest in undisturbed areas. For this reason, those areas could provide refuges for native fauna. Unfortunately, the populations of Pachycondyla chinensis were found in forests that did not seemed to have been affected by human activities for decades, like National or State Parks. The refuges could be in danger? The results of our study have shown that most species of native ants were not found in areas colonized by P. chinensis. This could be problematic for native ant species. But the problem does not stop here. Ants (native ones) play fundamental roles in the equilibrium of ecosystems by their predator role, soil fertilizer but also in their association with some plants, like Ginger or Trillium, which seeds are dispersed by ants. Pachycondyla chinensis does not play those roles, and by affecting native ants, it is much more species that are also affected indirectly. Human health. One other risk concerns human health. This ant has a stinger and knows how to use it if necessary. Contrary to Fire ants, Pachycondyla chinensis is not an aggressive ant and will try to flee if disturbed (when Fire ants tried to attack). However, if an ant is stuck between your skin and your clothes, or between your fingers and the piece of wood you are carrying, the ant will probably sting you. In that case, be cautious of how you can feel. Some people can react with strong allergenic reactions, like an anaphylactic shock. If you know you are sensitive to bee or wasp venom, be especially cautious. Where to find P. chinensis? Until now, Pachycondyla chinensis was found in 9 states of the East coast: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and it seems that an other population is establish in the states of Connecticut and New York (including Manhattan). The records from Alabama and Florida are from the 40's and no recent records have been reports. However, in all the other states, populations are established and seem to expand. We try to monitor their distribution, so don't hesitate to contact us (zeroben (at) gmail.com) if you think you found this ant. Pachycondyla chinensis lives in forests, but also in open habitat. In fact only one tree or a few trees, or just some wood on the ground are enough for them to nest. From our surveys, we found P. chinensis to be present in urban environment at many occasions, like in the backyard of houses or on the campus of University. The nest are found essentially into or under logs, twigs and any other piece of rotten wood on the ground, and also more rarely under rocks and in the ground. The colony can be composed of a few dozen of worker to several thousands. If you find them be cautious if you manipulate them! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me. Do not confuse the Asian needle ant with other species. [images follow at the site] [Several pretty good images are included at the site. Unfortunately they don't copy as easily as some, but right click and Copy, then Paste into Word for each individual picture worked pretty well for me.] John |
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Subject: RE: BS: Asian Invaders in Your Garden From: GUEST,Eliza Date: 12 Feb 13 - 04:52 AM Here we have the harlequin ladybird, a new non-native type, which kills our own much-loved ladybird. They're very handsome, but NOT WANTED! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Asian Invaders in Your Garden From: JohnInKansas Date: 12 Feb 13 - 05:49 AM Thanks to a few early immigrants who made a passionate effort to introduce "every bird mentioned in Shakespeare" we have lots of illegal immigrant birds in the US. (And we know where those came from.) Some of the less destructive birds have become acclimated well enough to be considered "sort of naturalized citizens" but a few of the more annoying ones provided significant incentives for those who first began to recognize the hazards of invasive species from other lands. Imported insects have possibly been of fewer kinds, although several have had exceedingly harmful effects. Most of these invaders have been brought in by accident (especially if stupidity is considered accidental?). "Exotic pets" are a common threat when people get tired of them and dump them in the wild. Some don't survive, but others have thrived. One of the most publicized recent counter efforts has been the Florida attempts to get rid of the pythons that have reached numbers and sizes to threaten native birds and animals with extinction. We have long lists of plants, some brought in intentionally and some by accident, that have been destructive to native competitors. Acquatic imports are among the most destructive in some places. Some are "pets" that were dumped, but others (esp. the mussels) are probably just accidents from shipping. It's possible that other countries have similar problems with some of our wanderers, but we don't hear much about them here. John |
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Subject: RE: BS: Asian Invaders in Your Garden From: gnomad Date: 12 Feb 13 - 06:59 AM Other countries do have problems, John, offhand we in the UK blame you guys (mildly, we know we have transgressed too, a lot) for grey squirrels and for signal crayfish. We are also permanently on the watch for Colorado beetle, which is one we definitely don't want. We also blame your neighbours for Canada Geese, and coypu but there are plenty of other sources of nuisance species, witness Himalayan balsam, muntjac deer, Russian vine, Japanese knotweed, and rabbits of course. The root of the problem is that humans have a history of both invading and being invaded, interspersed with global travel, and in all this travel other species go along with the humans whether by accident or by design. Nations can try to raise barriers but I suspect that as a rule they are merely delaying what is inevitable, and that nature wins every time in the end. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Asian Invaders in Your Garden From: Dorothy Parshall Date: 12 Feb 13 - 09:03 AM I did not notice mention of the zebra mussel, a horror in the waterways of southern Canada/northern US at the least. I forget where they came from. And the horrors of the beautiful purple loosestrife which forms dense roots masses that prohibit other plants from taking root. This is destroying acres of wetlands in Ontario and, I might presume, Quebec. About these horrific ants, the one sentence that really caught my eye was that they were stinging termites, giving me cause to wonder if they would gobble up the powder post beetles that are literally destroying this house. No amount of googling or consultation has come up with a solution and the first floor is, literally, starting to fall into the cellar. It might be worth introducing them to the beetles? But probably not, she says wistfully.. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Asian Invaders in Your Garden From: Bee-dubya-ell Date: 12 Feb 13 - 01:36 PM Direct quote from the article in the opening post: "And spreading the ants are." This is what happens when you let Yoda teach English Composition 101. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Asian Invaders in Your Garden From: Charmion Date: 12 Feb 13 - 01:42 PM We human Canadians had nothing to do with the spread of the Canada goose into places where gangs of gabbling, crapping waterfowl of size are not desired. As migratory birds, they are protected from hunting except during a restricted hunting season in the fall, so if you want to persuade them to shit elsewhere, you have to ensure local conditions are not to their liking. The single thing the Canada goose likes best in the world is a neatly clipped lawn beside a slow-moving watercourse; consequently, people who like riverside parks have to watch where they put their feet. So lobby your city fathers (and mothers) to convert those expanses of clipped grass they are so proud of into something less goose-friendly, such as allotment gardens, and the banded buggers will take their loose bowels somewhere else. I would also like to see a municipal hunting season for both geese and ducks, but few city dwellers are skilled enough with a shotgun to put a dent in the waterfowl population without also threatening the lives of their human, canine and feline neighbours. Canada goose is delicious, by the way, especially when the bird has been eating park grass ... |
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Subject: RE: BS: Asian Invaders in Your Garden From: Bettynh Date: 12 Feb 13 - 03:01 PM My beloved tiger lilies have disappeared in the last 10 years to the scarlet lily beetle. The Wiki article gives hope, since they've released a parasitic wasp in Boston (about 30 miles from here). Most frightening of all, though, is the Asian longhorn beetle. The street and park trees of Worcester, Mass. are gone. I can't remember the chestnuts, but a forest without maples is a nightmare. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Asian Invaders in Your Garden From: GUEST,Shimrod Date: 12 Feb 13 - 03:41 PM It's a common problem in many parts of the world and is being exacerbated by globalisation. Here, in the UK, one of our commonest trees, the Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) is currently threatened by a fungal disease called 'Ash Die-back' (Chalara ... something or other). This has come about through a noxious combination of bizarre commercial practices and environmental ignorance. In most of lowland Britain, Ash acts like a weed - it is a prolific self-seeder and the seedlings are likely to appear on any scap of wasteland. Nevertheless, Britain is infested with thousands of irrational tree fetishists and tree planters who, in spite of their mad enthusiasm, seem to know little about trees. They often plant Ash - a bit like planting nettles or dandelions!! There don't appear to be many commercial tree nurseries left in the UK, so to satisfy the stupid cravings of the ignorant tree hugging tree planters, Ash saplings are usually imported from mainland Europe ... where Ash Die-back has been established for a number of years now. The bizzarre aspect of this sad story appeared recently when it was revealed that British Ash seeds are being planted, in pots, in Britain, then shipped to Holland to be grown on ... and then re-imported ...! The Human Race deserves to become extinct but let's hope it happens before we render everything else extinct! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Asian Invaders in Your Garden From: GUEST,leeneia Date: 13 Feb 13 - 10:19 AM John in Kansas, thanks for the info. Nothing I found on the net answers the simple question 'What does their nest look like?" The site of Benoit Guenard of UNC has a link to a map, but when clicked on, it does nothing. However, I'll tell the DH about Asian Needle ants so he can be on a qui vive when picking up firewood for the barbecue. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Asian Invaders in Your Garden From: JohnInKansas Date: 13 Feb 13 - 04:50 PM leenia - About all I see regarding nesting is the one statement in the article posted: "The nest are found essentially into or under logs, twigs and any other piece of rotten wood on the ground, and also more rarely under rocks and in the ground. The colony can be composed of a few dozen of worker to several thousands. If you find them be cautious if you manipulate them!" At the bottom of the page linked, there's a fairly large picture of one of the workers, and a link to "more pictures." The pictures at that link show some winged ones, that are either a different "class" than the workers shown the most (and most likely to be seen) or may be ants at a different stage of development, and the backgrounds may be illustrative of what a nest might look like if you find one(?). IFF these ants are confined to the states listed they don't appear to be an immediate problem for most of the US, but they appear to be sufficiently adaptable to be easily spread beyond their current range. Dorothy mentions "no mention of" zebra mussels. These are one of the things I meant to imply among "esp the mussels." Zebra mussels are a sufficent problem at least as far south as Kansas and Oklahoma that Fish and Wildlife managers have imposed rules that a boat that's been pulled out of one lake cannot (legally) be launched in another lake within several days (variable) to assure that it's dried enough to eliminate clinging zebras and/or eggs - or has been specifically "decontaminated" using specified (and somewhat difficult) methods. (The "dry-out" methods applied for zebra mussels might also help reduce spread of invasive acquatic plants that are another common problem, but some of the veggies can stand prolonged drying so steam cleaning might be the only thing that might work ...?) John |
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Subject: RE: BS: Asian Invaders in Your Garden From: GUEST,leeneia Date: 14 Feb 13 - 09:19 AM I saw the same thing, John, but it doesn't say or show what the nest looks like. Does it have a tidy cone of sawdust around it? Tubes, like termites? The info isn't complete. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Asian Invaders in Your Garden From: JohnInKansas Date: 14 Feb 13 - 06:12 PM Since these ants are said to nest in decayed wood, it would seem likely that the decayed wood background shown in the picture is about all you're likely to see. What's in the picture would probably fall apart if you tried to dig into it to find anything resembling a "nest." Perhaps, since the disappearance of other ants in areas where these are found has been noted, you might find a little tiny sign that says "Welcome Pachycondyla chinensis, ALL OTHERS KEEP OUT." ??? Identification of these ants should be fairly easy, especially if you apply the "clean jar test." The small size makes it unlikely you'll have a handy magnifier adequate to see their yellow butt, so with casual observation they'll look much like any other common ant, except for being black. If you find them, the information given suggests that cleaning up decayed/decaying wood should be sufficient to eliminate them, at least in the immediate area, although they might not move very far. If you're in an area where they've been reported, it's likely that your State Dept of Agriculture or Forestry or other appropriate agency will have more information, likely including control/eradication instructions. (They're not known to be in my area, so my local resources don't mention them.) The author/site manager does give an email address where you could ask for more information, but my impression is he's sort of an antiphile who wouldn't want to help you kill one. He would like for you to report "where and when" IFF you find one though. John |
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Subject: RE: BS: Asian Invaders in Your Garden From: Janie Date: 14 Feb 13 - 08:09 PM It's good to be aware of such things, and certainly with globalization the rate at which various species of flora and fauna colonize new territory is astonishing. I find myself pondering that the later few species in the evolutionary line of hominids have been, to date, the most successful and biggest game-changers in terms of invasive species that are known to have inhabited planet Earth. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Asian Invaders in Your Garden From: Janie Date: 14 Feb 13 - 09:17 PM That last remark of mine is a bit arrogant. Micro-organisms rule! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Asian Invaders in Your Garden From: JennieG Date: 15 Feb 13 - 07:10 PM There are problem invaders in Oz which were brought here by people homesick for what they had left behind in England.....foxes which do a tremendous amount of damage to native wildlife; rabbits which have decimated land - their burrows are so extensive that the land collapses; plants like lantana and Paterson's Curse (which is fatal to horses) were planted in gardens but then spread to bushland, and blackberries which are a declared noxious weed. Except for mountainous areas our winters aren't severe enough to knock blackberries back, so they continue to grow all year round. There are many many more. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Asian Invaders in Your Garden From: JohnInKansas Date: 16 Feb 13 - 11:58 PM Another invasive foreign species in the US: Python Challenge results: 68 snakes caught in Florida competition The creatures are having an impact on wildlife in the Everglades The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced the results of the 2013 Python Challenge on Saturday: 68 Burmese pythons harvested during the Jan. 12-Feb. 10 competition. The goal of the Python Challenge was to heighten public awareness about this invasive species, but also an opportunity to gather important data about Burmese python populations and their impact on the Everglades ecosystem. The $1,500 Grand Prize for harvesting the most Burmese pythons went to Brian Barrows, who harvested six pythons in the General Competition, and Ruben Ramirez, who harvested 18 pythons in the Python Permit Holders Competition. The $1,000 First Place Prize for harvesting the longest Burmese python went to Paul Shannon, who harvested a 14-foot, 3-inch-long python in the General Competition, and Ruben Ramirez, who harvested a 10-foot, 6.8-inch-long python in the Python Permit Holders Competition. Due to the generosity of sponsors, additional prizes were added. And another suspected threat, previously believed to have been eradicated as no new specimens were seen in the past 18 years: Alfa Romeo making its U.S. return after 18 years ... you may never have heard of Alfa Romeo and almost certainly may never have driven one. ... Alfa Romeo abandoned the U.S. market in 1995, the victim of endemic quality problems and fast-shrinking sales. But with its parent Fiat SpA now married to Detroit's Chrysler, Alfa is getting ready to stage a long-awaited comeback. An all-new supercar, the Alfa Romeo 4C, will make its debut at the Geneva Motor Show less than a month from now and then start rolling into U.S. showrooms before year-end. If all goes according to plan, the Italian maker hopes to quickly add three more models and target more established European luxury marques like BMW, Jaguar and Audi. [Attempts to introduce a new foreign and potentially invasive species to control another foreign and invasive species have seldom been very successful, but some still insist on trying it.] And even native species sometimes cause problems: Bunnies invade Denver airport, eat cars Unfortunately for the security at Denver International Airport, furry troublemakers are invading their large parking lot. Officials with the U.S. Agriculture Department's Wildlife Services in the Denver area claim that rabbits are chewing wires under the hoods of cars, according to the Los Angeles Times. The animals are causing hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars in damage. Although officials have been removing 100 rabbits from the area every month, the damage continues. The persistent presence of rabbits can be attributed to the fact that the airport is surrounded by a prairie and the rabbits look to the vehicles for warmth and food. "They come to the recently driven cars for warmth, and once they're there, they find that many of the materials used for coating ignition cables are soy-based, and the rabbits find that quite tasty," [No information is given on which manufacturers are making cars out of soy beans, but it sounds suspiciously like a plot by an east asian country.] John |
