Men and insects

Abstract

There has always been a silent war between men and insects: insects compete with man for the very possession of planet Earth. There are many examples: from the cockroaches that have infested the White House for decades to the locusts that desertify vast regions of Africa. The article focuses in particular on Solenopsis saevissima, known as the "fire ant" or "Argentine ant". The war - which man fights with chemical weapons, insecticides and asphyxiating gases that are extremely harmful to the environment - has been ongoing since 1930 and is far from over: Solenopsis saevissima continues to gain ground and expand.