Christmas Island Yellow Ants

The spectacle is considered one of the natural world s great migrations but the past 20 years have seen tens of millions.

Christmas island yellow ants. The impact of yellow crazy ants on christmas island biodiversity a typical undisturbed patch of christmas island forest will experience multiple changes following the foundation and spread of a super colony. It is colloquially called crazy because of its erratic movements when disturbed. Like several other invasive ants such as. Crazy ants have wiped out an estimated 40 million red crabs from christmas island since the early 1990s supplied.

Each year the crabs march en masse to spawn along its pristine shoreline. Like tiny vampires they anchor themselves to a tree branch and suck out sap eventually. The yellow crazy ant was introduced by accident to christmas island in the indian ocean about 70 years back. Typically a super colony area is devoid of most forms of faunal life.

After more than seven years of research community consultation and biosecurity checks the first batch of micro wasps have been released in christmas island. These exotic ants can be identified by their light yellow coloring and super long legs and antennae. Formic acid can kill land crabs including our precious red crabs. Csiro parks staff worked with a team led by dr peter green a red crab expert.

After more than seven years of research community consultation and biosecurity checks a micro wasp from malaysia has been imported to christmas island to control yellow crazy ants. It was also introduced to australia accidentally. Nicknamed land of the red crab christmas island an australian territory in the indian ocean is home to some 50 million crimson crustaceans. Staff from christmas island national park and scientists from la trobe university and the forest research institute of malaysia flew 167 of the wasps to christmas.

As many of you know invasive yellow crazy ants have posed a serious threat to christmas island s wildlife the red crab population in particular but it looks like scientists have finally found a solution. The yellow crazy ant anoplolepis gracilipes is a species of ant originally from southeast asia that has been accidentally introduced to numerous places in the world s tropics. A micro wasp from malaysia. Crazy ants defend themselves by spraying formic acid one of nature s most powerful acids.

It quickly got a foothold and started to take over. Its long legs and antennae make it one of the largest invasive ant species in the world. Why are yellow crazy ants such a problem for christmas island. These ants now form super colonies with billions of individuals across hundreds of hectares.