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HOLIDAYMAKERS JETTING OUT TO THE SPANISH HOLIDAY HOTSPOT, WHICH IS ONE OF THE CANARY ISLANDS, HAVE BEEN PUT ON ALERT. 13:42, 04 Jun 2025 Spain faces a "growing threat" with
Tenerife rushing to contain a "harmful" bug as UK tourists are warned. European Union holidaymakers jetting out to the Spanish holiday hotspot, which is one of the Canary Islands,
have been put on alert. The little fire ant (Wasmannia auropunctata), known for its harmful impact on both local ecosystems and human activities, has been discovered in Los Cristianos, a
popular coastal town. This alarming finding has led to swift action from local authorities and raised concerns among residents and tourists alike. The discovery was made by entomologists
Antonio Pérez and Irene Santos from the Institute of Natural Products and Agrobiology (IPNA-CSIC), in collaboration with Eduardo Jiménez, David Lugo, and Daniel Suárez from the University of
La Laguna. Their findings have been published in the Journal of Hymenoptera Research. READ MORE ALL THE PARTS OF ENGLAND SET FOR 'AT LEAST 30C' NEXT WEEK IN UK HEATWAVE The little
fire ant is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as one of the most damaging invasive ant species globally. It also appears on the EU’s list of invasive
species of concern. Article continues below This ant is a uniform yellow-red to light brown in color, all workers are 1.5 mm in length (half the size of a sesame seed, or as long as a penny
is thick, about 1/16”). It prefers moist conditions, forming colonies on the ground AND in trees and is native to Central and South America, LFA were accidentally introduced as hitchhikers
on imported plants. But it has been linked to corneal clouding and blindness in pets and in the Galapagos, ants attack tortoise hatchlings and sting the eyes of adult tortoises. They also
infest bee hives, preying on the larvae and eventually destroy the hive. Article continues below Large infestations are difficult and expensive to control, it has been warned too. Its sting
causes painful, and in some cases severe, reactions in both humans and animals. A 2022 study estimated that global efforts to control this species have already cost more than $7 billion.