Falkland Islands' biosecurity officers thwart Argentine ant army invasion

Monday, May 16th 2016 - 21:42 UTC

Full article 19 comments

By Ross James, Biosecurity Officer for Penguin News - An Argentine army, thousands strong invaded the Falklands recently, and their arrival went unnoticed for several weeks before the alarm was raised. The Argentine Ants arrived aboard a yacht which had sailed non-stop around the world from Australia, non-stop that is until huge waves swept the singlehanded 78 year-old sailor overboard and capsized his yacht as he rounded Cape Horn. In a stroke of luck a subsequent wave righted the vessel and at the same time the sailor was able to pull himself back aboard. Read full article

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DemonTree
ROFL.

Also you lucky bastards not having any ants!
May 16th, 2016 - 10:40 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Skip
What an awesome article.
May 16th, 2016 - 10:47 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Enrique Massot
And these are only the scouts! Malvinas, here we come!
May 17th, 2016 - 03:52 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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Conqueror
@3. Note the solution and how effective it is. Although stamping on argie ants will be enormously satisfying! Shades of '82!
May 17th, 2016 - 08:34 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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Pete Bog
The best chance Argentina has had invading the Falklands.

Still waiting for a group of Argies to land off a sub as they assume most of the Islands are uninhabited, that's if any subs are working.
May 17th, 2016 - 08:59 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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James Marshall
Just waiting for the 'official' Arg. press release that states they now have ants as well as birds they share with the Islands, so it must make them theirs....
May 17th, 2016 - 09:13 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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Vestige
Mercopress scrapes the barrel yet again.
May 17th, 2016 - 09:45 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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ChrisR
At least the ants were 'on' the Falklands about as long as the cowards of SA were!

At least they didn't get chance to shit in the PO and peoples houses.

I imagine that the present bunch of pussies laughingly called the Argentine Armed Forces wish their officers would take poison and that would be the end of the disgrace they must all feel after TMBOA emasculated them so.

No SAA, no large gun ammunition, no modern fighting vehicles other that the crap 'tank' with it's oversize gun, but useless with no in-date rounds for them.

A question: WTF doesn't Chile take the bottom end of the Southern Cone, it's only got the 2o YO 'Malvinas veterans' to defend it and we saw how brave they were throwing rocks at the Top Gear presenters and the technical support?

Argentina, the laughs keep coming!
May 17th, 2016 - 11:39 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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Clyde15
#7
You don't have a sense of humour, do you !
May 17th, 2016 - 12:06 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Marti Llazo
@8 “WTF doesn't Chile take the bottom end of the Southern Cone”

Probably because pcia Sta Cruz is infested with unemployable kirchneristas and getting rid of them would be more trouble than the entire region is worth.
May 17th, 2016 - 02:26 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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chronic
Invasive species and unintended consequences are all interesting fodder for discussion.

Rgs are after all the kudzu of latam . . . . . .
May 17th, 2016 - 04:29 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Enrique Massot
#8 Chris
Chris, we don't need any weapons to get the islands. The next wave will be cyber ants that will make the islanders so crazy they will leave on their own.
But don't worry. We'll recognize the islanders with a statue that will be made after melting that of Maggie's.
May 17th, 2016 - 06:18 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Briton
Damm
and whilst we all were thinking Argentina was finished,
they secretly train Argentine Ants to infiltrate the Falkland's,

apparently ants special forces have been seen tunnelling under the base ready to disrupt communications.
lol.
May 17th, 2016 - 06:45 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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pgerman
How strange...that either the Foreign Office or the FI Authorities didn't blame Argentina for its “irresponsible” action against the FI economy.

It's a good moment to keep on playing the role of the victim in front of the hole international community.

Or...it might be the time to cancel all the flights between the continent and the Islands. Imagine more ants caming in the lugage of the passengers...any action must be taken.
May 17th, 2016 - 08:15 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Think
TWIMC

Article ends saying...:
“This incursion serves as a reminder that we should not be complacent about biosecurity.
Earwigs showed that invasive species can and do establish here, and invasive species can cause our Islands and economy untold harm.”

I say...:
This “falsely titled” incursion serves as a reminder that we should not be complacent about what biosecurity officers tell us...
Earwigs have surely burrowed this autum in them officers brains..., showing us that, instead of doing their job in the field releasing some parasitic flies or uprooting some gorse or calafate..., they are just sitting on their well paid larded arses in their confy Estanley offices, concocting unserious fantasies...

Grab a spade and out to work..., laddies!

Get a grip....., you “biosecurity officers”...
May 18th, 2016 - 05:16 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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Skip
Errrrm..... yeaaaaah ok then!

?!?!?
May 18th, 2016 - 05:40 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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lsolde
Think, what involvement did you have in the ant invasion?
Maybe nothing, but as l don't trust you in ANYTHING, l'm keeping a suspicious eye on you. lol!
You must be guilty of something. lol!
May 18th, 2016 - 09:04 am - Link - Report abuse 0
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Think
(16) Skippy
You say...:
“Errrrm..... yeaaaaah ok then!...”
I say...:
Errrrm..... yeaaaaah ok then... What???
C'mon Skippy... You are a delicate intelectual cappuccino city slicker...
Uprooting just one tiny little berberis shrub would exhaust you...
Besides, you wouldn't know what's the working end of a spade...
;-)))

(17) Isolde, babykins...
You... insatiable devilry ferretress...
;-)))
May 18th, 2016 - 01:22 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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Marti Llazo
“ Earwigs showed that invasive species can and do establish here,...”

And those stinking invasive tijeretas are also very well established in southern Chile and southern Argentina. Which is probably how they got to the Falklands.
May 18th, 2016 - 01:28 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
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