The red fire ant (Solenopsis Invicta), one of the most invasive exotic species in the world and the fifth most difficult to combat on the entire planet, has already arrived in Europe, according to El Mundo.

According to this Spanish newspaper, the "dangerous, voracious insect whose painful bite is capable of causing anaphylactic shock in people and even killing some animals" has already established itself in several European countries and may be about to invade the Iberian Peninsula.

These are the conclusions of an investigation led by the scientist at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology, Roger Vila, who does not hide his concern about the possibility of this species of ant also establishing itself in Spain.

In the Italian city of Syracuse, Sicily alone, 88 colonies of these "very resistant" ants were found in an area of five hectares.

According to the same study, published in the specialty journal Current Biology, these ants originate from Argentina but have already established themselves in Australia, China and the United States.

In the document, the researchers state that "one of the biggest problems with these ants is that they build many large nests, where tens of thousands of ants are born.