Scientists document first record of the invasive Asian needle ant in Stuttgart
A research team led by Senckenberg scientist Dr Brendon Boudinot and Dr Maura Haas-Renninger from the State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart, with the involvement of researchers at the University of Hohenheim, has recorded the presence of the invasive Asian needle ant (Brachyponera chinensis) in Germany for the first time. The researchers discovered a colony of this ant species, originally from East Asia, in Stuttgart’s Rosenstein Park. The insects are considered particularly problematic by the European Union due to their potential to cause harm and their potentially allergy-inducing stings. The study documenting the first record of the species in Germany was published today in the scientific journal “Zootaxa”.
Press release of the Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (GER)