- Kehl blocks playground because of ant invasion
Due to an ant infestation, the Baden-Wurttemberg border town of Kehl is closing a children's playground starting Monday. The ants have completely taken over the affected playground in the Marlen district, as reported by the city administration. Hot water will be sprayed under the plates of the playground into the ant nests to reach them up to a meter deep, to combat them.
The uneven paving of the facility has become a safety hazard, according to the town hall of the municipality in the Ortenau district. "Curious playground visitors often lift the stones to watch the ant activity up close."
City fights invasive ants
The city on the Upper Rhine has been fighting invasive ants of the Tapinoma magnum species from the Mediterranean region for months. Two so-called supercolonies with millions of ants have been discovered in the Marlen and Neumühl districts.
It remains unclear when children can use the playground again. The city said construction work for renovating the facility cannot begin before the end of October. According to reports from spring, the black insects have already invaded houses and caused power and internet outages.
Ant species documented since 2009
The invasive ant species Tapinoma magnum has been documented in the southwest since 2009 at various locations. Apart from Kehl, it has been spotted in Lörrach, Schutterwald, Karlsruhe, Weinheim, Heidelberg, Ketsch, and Stuttgart; as well as in adjacent regions in Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse, and France.
The border town of Kehl, faced with an ant infestation, is not just closing a children's playground but has also seen these insects invade local homes, resulting in power and internet outages. Despite the renovation work for the playground scheduled for late October, it remains uncertain when the children can return to their favorite facility, situated in the Ortenau district.
