Marie-Cécile Ruiz, an insect pro at the Corsican Invertebrate Conservatory Observatory | Corsica Morning
As a child, Marie-Cécile Ruiz was scared of spiders . “As soon as I saw one, I screamed. A cry that my parents recognized from afar,” she says, laughing. Today, Marie-Cécile Ruiz is responsible for the Corsican Invertebrate Conservatory Observatory (OCIC) of the Corsican Environment Office . A pro of insects, therefore, who, by becoming a Doctor of Science in ecology, specialty "entomology" , has been able to tame her fear and accompanies us for a discovery of these little beasts which worry. Often wrongly.
So that's it, is it the season for insects and other arachnids?
All seasons are important. In Corsica, the winters are quite mild. As soon as it warms up, the hibernating species come back into activity and can fly. This is the case of the "lemon", a yellow butterfly, which can be seen as soon as it is warm enough. And the flies are all year round!
Is Corsica a land rich in small animals?
It is a mountainous island with what is called a double isola phenomenon, the sea and the mountain. We observe a form of specificity there: groups are poorer there, but it is also a hotspot of diversity. There are species that live in Corsica and nowhere else in the world. And we also share endemic species with Sardinia.
Can you come across dangerous species there?
Yes, but everything is relative. Species can cause problems but from there to cause death, no... It all depends on humans. If you are allergic to wasp or bee stings, that's different.
Let's start with the malmignatte, the famous Corsican black widow?
It's true that we find quite a few of them in Corsica, but it's not endemic, it's common to the Mediterranean. She has the beauty of the devil, black and red, important colors in nature, as is also the case with the ladybug which is very bad in taste, which protects it from birds. The malmignatte carries on it the sign "warning danger"! Its sting is not painful but can have side effects. Its venom is neurotoxic and there is a range of possible reactions. It can be at the level of the bite, but it also evokes muscle cramps, nocturnal nightmares, disturbance of the heart rhythm. There are many in the Center of Corsica, in the South too. But it does not fit into the houses. It prefers low walls, wheat stubble.
What to do if you come across one?
Leave her alone. It uses its venom to hunt other insects, including larger ones. But she won't eat you! If there is a threat from you, on the other hand, it can be the attack and the bite. There are urban legends about spiders entering their mouths or ears, laying eggs under the skin... This is obviously not true. But if you have been stung, bitten, if there is a wound, you must disinfect yourself. And generally, I advise people who ask how to remove a spider or an insect lying on them to use a leaf on which the beast will climb.
Who should we really be wary of?
Processionary caterpillars for example. They are stinging, it is their defense weapon, and must be handled with care. Pulling into the structure of the nest to get rid of it is for example a bad idea.
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This will throw into the air the stinging hairs which remain so for a very long time and which can easily land on clothing. If you breathe them in, there will be urtication every time, with respiratory symptoms, even angioedema . Pets should also be supervised. Best to call a specialist company. When they are in pine trees bordering the property, some people sometimes go so far as to cut down the tree.
What about the motley moth that wreaked havoc in spring 2018 and 2019?
It is not stinging but it is an introduced species that spreads and returns regularly, usually every 10 years. The disparate bombyx will devour, there are few things it does not eat, advancing like the front of a fire. But with force, there will be nothing left or only old leaves that are not suitable for young people.
And nature will take over with, in the years that follow, the "work" of predators.
Mosquitoes, tigers in particular, generate fears. Right or wrong?
The mosquito sucks blood and, already, this can actually irritate the phobic. Years ago, some people feared getting AIDS from being bitten. Today, they might be afraid of being infected with Covid. We work with a medical entomologist. And a Facebook page (1) also offers answers to all questions you may have about tiger mosquitoes and other pests.
In recent years, there is also a lot of talk about ticks and Lyme disease?
It was long thought that Corsica was free from Lyme disease. This is not the case. The tick is indeed a potential vector of a lot of diseases that pass through animals in particular.
What questions us, with the Regional Health Agency of Corsica, within the framework of the regional plan Health environment emerging diseases, is to remain vigilant in relation to climate change and imported species.
Diseases can appear because the vector appears or suitable conditions develop And the risk increases. The tick will take its time to bite.
You must therefore inspect yourself and simple rules must be respected if you go into the forest, for example.
A cap, clothes that cover you, pants tucked into socks.
Setting foot on an anthill or discovering hundreds of ants in your home can also scare some people. The fault with the ant of Argentina?
We talk about Argentina, which we find mainly in the back dunes, out of ignorance. The one you probably see in your garden, which bites, which has a very unpleasant smell, close to rancid butter, is the tapinoma magnum.
And it is this species that has meant that Argentina has not developed in Corsica as elsewhere.
By working on genetics, we realized that it is an invasive that arrived on the island a very long time ago, but the climatic changes that we have been experiencing for 10 years suit it and it is becoming really invasive.
People will treat with chemicals but, as she has several queens, she will resist...
Competition, on the other hand, local ants with a single queen, will they be destroyed. We are working on it with specialists.
It would be necessary to disturb their nests in winter with great blows of the pickaxe.
Today is too late. My advice: don't leave food lying around.
A last word to reassure insect phobics?
There are no fears to have unless you are allergic. All these animals have a role to play. We must let them live. They are food sources for many species. There needs to be a place for everyone.
(1) Facebook: Mosquitoes, ticks and other pests / Zinzale, zecche è altri
