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00:03 Red fire ants are native to South America,
00:05 but they have now been found all over the world.
00:08 They are estimated to be the fifth most costly
00:10 invasive species globally, killing plants
00:12 and wreaking havoc on ecosystems wherever they end up.
00:15 And now according to a new report,
00:17 they've been found swarming in Europe for the first time.
00:20 They were discovered in Italy,
00:21 and now that they have reached the mainland,
00:23 experts warn the rest of Europe is sure to follow.
00:25 Red fire ants are so dangerous
00:27 because of both their venomous bite and their numbers.
00:29 Current biology reports,
00:31 they can overwhelm even much larger prey
00:33 because they roll around in groups of half a million,
00:35 biting repeatedly.
00:36 They also overwhelm and destroy plants,
00:38 engulfing them and cutting off the food supply
00:41 to other creatures that need those plants to survive.
00:43 S. Invicta, as red fire ants are called scientifically,
00:46 have already spread to the Southern US,
00:48 China, Taiwan, Australia, the Caribbean islands,
00:51 Japan, and the Philippines,
00:53 traveling on goods that have been traded between nations.
00:56 They spread rapidly due to their ingenuity as well,
00:58 traveling underground, on the air,
01:00 or even via rafts made from their own species.
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