The crazy ant (Paratrechina longicornis) is spreading through Barcelona and it is not ruled out that it is also already present in other parts of Catalonia. The first specimens of this invasive species were discovered on the grounds of the Port of Barcelona in 2019. The rapid selective insecticide treatment managed to control the expansion in this area, considered eradicated in 2022, but now new outbreaks have been observed in Montjuic (in the cemetery and in the gardens of Mossèn Costa i Llobera) and, even more striking, in the heart of the city, in Plaza Catalunya, as confirmed by Roger Vila and Carlos Pradera, experts in the study of insects and pest control.
In the case of the port, these ants were detected when it seemed that they had only recently arrived, perhaps accidentally introduced into some cargo, which facilitated treatment until they were considered eradicated, but in the new cases, experts consider that the extension can be unstoppable," Carlos Pradera and Roger Vila agree. "We are facing an example that in cases of species invasion, rapid detection and action can be effective, while the lack of control and delays in the response make it impossible. expansion, with all the environmental and even health consequences that this can have," Roger Vila, head of Bionet, explains to La Vanguardia.
The outbreaks detected in the cemetery and the Costa i Llobera gardens are located 1.5 and 0.6 km, respectively, from the port area where the first specimens were found. "This area is very large and seems intractable if there is no will for it, that is, budget. Therefore, I consider the war against this species in Barcelona almost lost and in coming years it will be a trickle of new records throughout the metropolitan area," Carlos Pradera explains in a note in his notebook The disinfestator and deratizer, pest control in the Barcelona area.
