France faces growing threat from invasive ‘electric ant’ species as funding for projects stalls

Concerns are being raised over the risk of electric ant colonies spreading across France, as budgetary issues and bureaucratic red tape halt the attempted eradication of two ‘supercolonies’ in the south. 

First seen in France in 2022 near Toulon (Var), a second colony of the ants was later found in the department in 2024, near La-Croix-Valmer, some 60km east of Toulon.

Since being seen in Spain in 2016, the European Commission has listed the ants as a ‘species of concern’. 

The tiny insects, also known as little fire ants, are around 1.5mm in size and get their name from their powerful stings and tendency to target humans. They are a dull ginger-brown in colour.

Their stings can cause an anaphylactic shock in humans. They can also attack domestic pets such as cats and dogs, focusing their stings around the eyes, often leading to blindness in the pets.

The ants are also aggressive towards other insects and their colonies can often quash those of other species, taking over vast tracts of land and upsetting natural ecosystems that relied on the presence of previous colonies. 

In La-Croix-Valmer, the colony has attacked birds' nests and flies. 

The ants originate from Central and South America although those found in the Var are from an Israeli strain of the species, which is more resistant to cold, with the fear they could spread further north than the Mediterranean coast. 

They are thought to arrive with plant imports, being known to rest in plant debris and soil, a resting place which makes them particularly difficult to eradicate. 

Funding woes amid budget cuts 

The prospect of the colonies spreading further across the coast or into mainland France is feared by environmentalists, with France’s Office for Biodiversity (OFB) saying their ‘arrival could disrupt all of our ecosystem.’ 

“Monitoring the routes of introduction and spread of this invasive exotic species… falls entirely under the responsibility of the State,” said Laurine Karkidès, deputy director of Fredon Paca, a network of experts dedicated to plant health and the environment, which is part of the group tasked to eradicate the ants. 

An initial €200,000 grant was given to a team researching the Toulon colony, but this was not enough to eradicate the colony which can take around three years.

When the second colony was discovered, further funding was planned but has stalled as France continues to face a growing state debt.

Original proposals for the 2026 budget saw a reduction in the levels of the ‘green’ fund which has been used to date. If the lower levels remain in place in the eventual 2026 text, there could be a struggle to obtain the necessary aid. 

Colonies hard to eradicate 

Researchers tasked with killing the colonies also point towards the difficulties they face in getting measures approved. 

Typical ant traps used for domestic species in France are based on sweet-tasting and smelling baits, something to which electric ants are not attracted.

An Australian product, Campaign, is effective in killing colonies, but current rules mean this can only be imported for use on a specific site, at a specific time, and via a particular method. 

However, ants can largely avoid the bait traps the product is used in, with research suggesting that the best method for killing the colonies is to widely sprinkle the product – a move currently banned under safety regulations. 

The Ministry for Ecological Transition told AFP it is ‘investigating’ exemptions for the product’s use, but that ‘toxicological risks’ remain and further tests must be conducted, saying also that as the ants are spread through plants, soil, and debris, the measure is not guaranteed to eradicate the colonies.