Myrmecologische Nachrichten 6: 79-82; printable
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.25849/myrmecol.news_006:079
- Open Access: CC BY 4.0
- Year: 2004
- Title: Risiken und Gefahren zunehmenden internationalen Handels mit Ameisen zu Privat-Haltungszwecken (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
- Journal: Myrmecological News
- Volume: 6
- Pages: 79-82
- Type of contribution: Original Article
- Supplementary material: No
- Abstract: Risks and dangers of increasing international pet ant trade (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). – In Europe (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Spain, and UK), since a few years an ever increasing trade with living ants for keeping as pets by private persons is observed. Internet companies provide formicaries, accessories, and living ants of European origin, but also from overseas (South America, Indonesia, Australia). In this article I discuss various risks of this trade: (1) Escaping ants may establish as pest species, (2) may become invasive species, (3) carry diseases that switch over to indigenous species, (4) disrupt local faunas, and (5) even "intraspecific homogenization" of fauna may occur. The author suggests to urge the governments of all nations to ban the trade of living invertebrate species, in particular exotic ant species, for commercial and non-scientific purposes. Exceptional permits should only be granted when escape-proof keeping can be guaranteed. Open access, licensed under CC BY 4.0. © 2004 The Author(s).
- Key words: Pet ant trade, invasive species, parasite and pathogen load, disruption of fauna.
- Publisher: The Austrian Society of Entomofaunistics
- ISSN: Print: 1994-4136 - Online: 1997-3500