- Playground closed due to an ant infestation
The border town of Kehl in Baden has closed a children's playground due to an ant infestation. The facility in the district of Marlen, equipped with large gates at the entrances, is currently off-limits.
According to the city, the playground has been colonized by ants that have undermined the ground. Part of the facility is paved, and the surface has become uneven, posing a safety hazard.
The city in the Ortenau district has been battling invasive ants of the Tapinoma magnum species from the Mediterranean region for some time. Two so-called supercolonies with millions of insects have been discovered in Marlen and the district of Neumühl, as the municipality announced.
Ant activity beneath the pavement
In the fight against the insects, hot water is being sprayed under the plates of the playground into the ant nests to reach them at depths of up to a meter. "Curious playground visitors often lift the stones to admire the ant activity up close," the city reported. The renovation of the playground is not expected to begin until late October.
Ant species present in the southwest for some time
The 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 near Stuttgart; as well as in adjacent regions in Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse, and France. According to the East French regional newspaper "Les Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace," the insects have also been discovered in Kehl's large neighboring city of Strasbourg in Alsace.
Visitors to the playground might be tempted to observe the ant activity beneath the pavement, potentially putting themselves at risk. Due to the uneven surface caused by ant colonization, it's advisable to avoid lifting stones in the area to ensure safety.
