Scourge in the Mediterranean: Phytosanitary policies against the Argentine ant in the first half of the 20th century

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Abstract

The Argentine ant ( Linepithema humilis ) is a Neotropical species from the Paraná River basin in central South America which has been spread unintentionally through human commerce from the nineteenth century onwards. It was soon recognised as an urban and plant pest and, more recently, as a threat to biodiversity in many of the places it has been introduced. This chapter analyses the causes of and motivations for controlling this species in Portugal, Spain, France and Italy in the first half of the twentieth century, describing and comparing legal and administrative measures among countries. Containment (in France), fight (in Italy) and eradication (in Portugal) were laid down in mandatory regulations dated from the 1920s, but none of these three aims were achieved. Despite a long history of control efforts, Argentine ants remain in Southern Europe and other invaded areas, where people still strive to control them.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationHistories of Bioinvasions in Mediterranean
EditorsAna Isabel Queiroz, Simon Pooley
Place of PublicationCham
PublisherSpringer
Pages87-103
Number of pages15
ISBN (Electronic)978-3-319-74986-0
ISBN (Print)978-3-319-74985-3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018

Publication series

NameEnvironmental History
Volume8
ISSN (Print)2211-9019
ISSN (Electronic)2211-9027

Keywords

  • Natural sciences
  • Bioinvasions
  • Mediterranean region
  • Environmental history

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