A STINKING species of super-ant is storming through Europe on a path to the UK.
The millions-strong mega-colonies have wiped out power supplies and even roads as they overwhelm the ground beneath entire towns.
The species, called Tapinoma magnum, hails from the Med and North Africa – but has been pushing up through the continent.
They spread rapidly and establish supercolonies of up to 20million across 60 acres which are “virtually impossible” to eradicate.
There were so many ants, you couldn’t see the floor anymore
Agnes Wirth
And anyone who dares squash a T. magnum is greeted by the stench of rancid butter.
The invaders hit headlines in Sweden this week as officials in regions around the capital Zurich attempt to oust the pests.
The ants have also taken root in France – but Germany has suffered the most.
In Germany, the sleepy south-western town of Kehl has been swamped.
Locals reported watching the town’s pavements and curbs sinking as the earth was carted away by the bugs, causing havoc with the roads.
And a playground was forced to close after ants took over the entire area and turned it into a nest.
City workers had to jet hot water into the labyrinth to wash them out.
The wider state of Baden-Württemberg has suffered power cuts and internet outages after the insects chomped through electric cables.
T. magnum’s destructive power comes from the sheer scale of their underground warrens and their tireless determination to expand.
While most ant species organise a few thousand workers around a single queen, T. magum clans contain up to 20million and hundreds of queens.
Instead of attacking one another, the smaller colonies merge together in alliance.
The British Pest Control Association told The Sun that the UK is at risk from the advancing crusade.
Individual efforts by homeowners and gardeners can’t control an infestation
Niall Gallagher
They explained the ants “spread mainly through horticultural imports, especially potted plants and trees from the Mediterranean”.
They added: “If T. magnum were to establish here, it could become a nuisance.
“They form vast supercolonies, displace native species and can even cause structural issues by excavating under paving.”
Although the species has not marched into the UK yet, a spokesperson for Defra said the agency “remains vigilant” to the threat.
The countryside around Zurich has been tormented by the ants since 2018.
Despite an almighty effort to clear them out, the ants remain “well established” in four areas.
In Winterthur, they blocked a billion-pound construction project when they settled exactly where a multi-track railroad tunnel was planned.
In the nearby Oetwil an der Limmat region, one supercolony infested an entire five-hectare potato field – about seven football pitches.
A local, Agnes Wirth, told Swiss site SRF: “There were so many ants, you couldn’t see the floor anymore.”
But that is dwarfed by the colony in Volketswil, on the other side of Zurich, where an area the size of 35 football pitches is teeming with the busy-body bugs.
The infestation is so enormous that the local authority has been legally forced to act.
Katharina Weber of the Zurich Department of Construction said: “In areas with large infestations, a coordinated approach by specialists is required.
“This means a plan is needed, and special pest controllers must be deployed. These can target the insecticide at the nests.”
In the UK, DEFRA recommends that anyone who sees a non-native insect species takes a photo and reports it.
Mike Fox, record manager for the Bees, Wasps and Ants Recording Society, said: “As far as I know, there are no records of Tapinoma magnum becoming established in the UK but of course it could possible in the future.”
Niall Gallagher, the Technical Manager at British Pest Control Association, said they closely monitor pest species – including Tapinoma magnum.
He told The Sun: “Research on Tapinoma magnum supercolonies in Switzerland has found that these ants live outdoors and can continue to forage at temperatures as low as 6 degrees during the winter months.
“Individual efforts by homeowners and gardeners are not sufficient to effectively control an infestation, and specifically tailored pest control solutions are needed to eradicate a colony.”
He recommend that anyone concerned about an ant infestation contacts a professional pest controller for help.
According to the British Pest Control Association, one of T. magnum’s most striking traits is their procession behaviour.
These ants form conspicuous trails across pavements and up buildings, often in large, coordinated lines.
These trails are reinforced with pheromones and can span several metres, connecting different parts of their supercolony.
To the untrained eye, this may look like a very active colony of common ants – but the sheer volume and organised movement can be a telltale sign of T. magnum.
In established infestations, these trails may even lead into buildings, across walls or deep into pavements and garden features.
If the species were to establish here, pest professionals would likely rely on a combination of bait gels (such as indoxacarb or imidacloprid) and surface treatments, as was done successfully in Zurich, Switzerland.
As always, public awareness and early reporting are vital tools in managing invasive pests.
Think you’ve seen something unusual? Here’s what to do:
‘A HELL of a lot of rain’ is set to hit Epsom this afternoon ahead of the blockbuster £1.5million Derby.
The going was changed to good, good to soft in places, last night after the forecast deluge didn’t hit.
But a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms and hail remains in place over the Surrey track.
Oli Bell said on ITV Racing that up to 30mm of rain could fall between now and the Derby at 3.30pm.
Templegate’s Derby tip and 1-2-3-4 prediction
With that in mind, here are five horses who should be able to cope if the going gets muddy.
1 Delacroix
Heavily backed after Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore teamed up to win the Oaks on Friday, the fav should have no problem if the rain gets into the turf.
He is 2-2 this year and finished a nose second on soft in last October’s William Hill Futurity at Doncaster.
2 Midak
The ground is typically much softer in the France – and that should play right into Midak’s strengths.
Supplemented for the race at a cost of £75,000, this three-year-old colt is showing signs of huge improvement.
And the colossal fee paid to get him in the race – and run under the famous Aga Khan silks – could prove money well spent.
3 Tennessee Stud
His odds have plummeted from 66-1 to 33s and it is easy to see why given the forecast.
He brings strong form to the table having been beaten by the likes of Delacroix, Green Storm and Hotazhell.
While he was a Group 1 winner on heavy at Saint-Cloud in France last October.
4 New Ground
Getting into the really big prices at 50-1, this French raider was a winner on heavy last October.
He has been campaigned at a higher level since and come up short – but maybe ultra soft ground is what he needs.
His sire won a French Derby on heavy so there is certainly hope.
5 Green Storm
If Tennessee Stud is a play, then 200-1 outsider Green Storm has to be as well.
Owned by Ahmad Al Shaikh, a genius owner who seemingly always gets a big-price fancy in the frame at the Derby – Hoo Ya Mal at 150-1 was the standout – he screams stamina.
Al Shaikh is obsessed with winning the Derby and while this would be the mother of all shocks, a small punt each-way could prove the prudent play.
A responsible gambler is someone who:
Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.
VLADIMIR Putin’s alleged secret daughter is reportedly working at two Parisian art galleries that showcase anti-war exhibitions.
Elizaveta Krivonogikh, 22 – also known as Luiza Rozova and now Elizaveta Rudnova – is said to be rubbing shoulders with Russian dissidents and Ukrainian artists in the French capital.
Reports say she is working at L Galerie in Belleville and Espace Albatros in Montreuil, despite being the daughter of a regime responsible for the war they oppose.
Both galleries are said to be known for exhibiting anti-war art, according to outlet Meduza, citing a Russian artist.
She also reportedly dropped the Putin-linked name and adopted one tied to Oleg Rudnov, a late Vlad ally – in an apparent attempt to mask her ties to the Kremlin tyrant.
Her role as gallery manager includes helping organise shows and make videos, and it has seemed to spark fury among exiled Russians and Ukrainians.
Artist Nastya Rodionova, who fled Russia in 2022, said she couldn’t stay silent.
In a Facebook post, she wrote: “It’s important to say that I believe in the presumption of innocence and that children are not responsible for the crimes of their parents.
“But with the war reaching its heights it is inadmissible to allow a person who comes from a family of beneficiaries of [Putin’s] regime to come into confrontation with the victims of that regime.
“We need to know who we are working with and decide whether we are ready for that. My personal answer in this case is no.”
Dmitry Dolinsky, director of L Association that controls Studio Albatros and L Galerie, defended Rudnova’s role.
He told The Times: “She looks like Putin but so do 100,000 other people. I haven’t seen a DNA test.”
Some insiders back her, calling her a “cultured person” and “excellent worker”.
But Rodionova hit back, warning that victims of the war shouldn’t be forced to share space with anyone tied to the regime – alleged daughter or not.
Rudnova’s mother, Svetlana Krivonogikh, was sanctioned by the UK in 2023 and linked to Putin’s inner circle by independent Russian media.
She reportedly owns property worth $100million and was outed as Putin’s former mistress by the Proekt investigative team.
Elizaveta vanished from Russian social media shortly before the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
She once flaunted a lavish lifestyle on Instagram, posting photos in designer clothes, sipping champagne, and DJing under the name Luiza Rozova.
Ukrainian TV later claimed she was living in Paris with a passport under the name Rudnova, allegedly ditching the patronymic Vladimirovna, which would confirm her father’s name as Vladimir.
Born in March 2003, Elizaveta has never publicly confirmed a link to the Russian tyrant.
The Kremlin has never confirmed her existence either.
But the timing of her birth, her resemblance to Putin, and her mother’s major financial rise have fuelled years of speculation.
Kremlin critics say she is part of the hidden empire Putin has built for his inner circle and family.
Officially, Putin only acknowledges two daughters, Maria and Katerina, from his marriage to Lyudmila Putina, whom he divorced in 2014.
But it’s long been rumoured he has more children — including two sons with former gymnast Alina Kabaeva.
VLADIMIR Putin is known for keeping his personal and family life very private, but some details about the tyrant’s children have surfaced over the years.
Maria Vorontsova (née Putin, born April 28, 1985): His eldest, 39, leads government-funded programs personally overseen by Putin, which have received billions from the Kremlin for genetic research.
She is the first of two daughters of Putin and his ex-wife, Lyudmila Putina.
Maria is said to be an expert in rare genetic diseases in children, and also dwarfism, according to reports.
She was married to Dutch businessman Jorrit Faassen.
In 2013, the couple were living in a penthouse in Voorschoten, the Netherlands, but the following year, Dutch residents called for her to be expelled following the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 by pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine.
The pair are believed to have moved the Moscow the following year.
In March 2022, it was reported that the couple had split after the war in Ukraine crushed Maria’s dreams of opening a money-spinning clinic for wealthy foreigners in Russia
Katerina Tikhonova (née Putin, born August 31, 1986): Also daughter of Putin and Lyudmila, 38-year-old Katerina is a tech boss whose work supports the Russian government and defence industry.
She started as a “rock’n’roll” dancer before moving into the world of artificial intelligence.
In 2013, his daughter Katerina married Kirill Shamalov, whose father, Nikolai, is a longtime friend of the president.
Nikolai Shamalov is a shareholder in Bank Rossiya, described by US officials as the Russian elite’s personal bank.
They were married in a secret ceremony at the Igor ski resort just north of St Petersburg.
It was reported at the time that the pair rode into the ceremony on a sleigh pulled by three white horses.
All the guests invited were sworn to secrecy, and the Kremlin has never confirmed that the wedding took place.
“I have a private life in which I do not permit interference,” Putin once said. “It must be respected.”
The couple had corporate holdings worth around $2 billion, according to Reuters, mainly from their large stake in Sibur Holding, a major gas and petrochemical company Kirill bought from another long-time friend of Putin, Gennady Timchenko.
Kirill also bought off Timchenko’s luxury villa in the seaside resort of Biarritz, southern France, estimated to be worth some $3.7m.
In March 2022, the house was taken over by pro-Ukraine activists, in response to Russia’s brutal invasion.
But Katerina and Kirill divorced in January 2018, with Putin’s former son in law rumoured to have been romantically involved with London-based Russian socialite Zhanna Volkova.
After the split, Kirill was said to be forced to give up his stocks in Sibur, and he lost almost half his wealth.
Their divorce settlement hasn’t been disclosed but likely runs into the millions.
Despite that, Kirill is still worth an estimated $800 million.
Putin was reported to be “quietly grooming” Katerina to be his successor.
Vlad is also rumoured to have “hidden” children, though he has never confirmed these reports.
Elizaveta Rozova (aka Luiza Rozova): Elizaveta, also known as Luiza Rozova, 21, is the rumoured love child from Putin’s alleged affair with a former cleaner.
The daughter of Svetlana Krivonogikh, who later became a millionaire, is now a fashion designer and DJ.
She often shared details from her lavish life on Instagram, until suddenly taking down the page in the wake of the Ukraine war.
Speculation also surrounds his supposed secret family with Alina Kabaeva, a former rhythmic gymnast once known as “the most flexible woman in Russia”.
Officials have denied that he has kids with Alina, but it is reported that she is in hiding in Switzerland, avoiding any possible sanctions in the wake of the Ukraine war.
A petition demanding she is thrown out by the Swiss authorities has garnered 75,000 signatures, demanding that “it’s time you reunite Eva Braun with her Führer”.
Alina retired from gymnastics and took a strange career turn to become a Russian MP.
The former athlete – dubbed “Russia’s First Mistress” – the Duma, the Russian parliament in 2007, representing her alleged lover’s United Russia party but left years later to pick up a lucrative job running a media company, despite having no previous experience.
In April, Alina’s name and picture was dramatically stripped from the website of the media empire she controlled.
A MYSTERY phone call could prove vital in cracking the cold case of a mum who vanished 15 years ago, The Sun can reveal.
Izabela Helena Zabłocka went missing in August 2010, aged 30, after moving to Derbyshire from Poland the previous year.
But an investigation wasn’t opened by British cops until last month, thanks to a baffling miscommunication gaffe.
Once the probe finally kicked into gear, officers made five arrests before finding remains in a back garden and charging a woman with murder on Friday – all within a matter of a couple of weeks.
Anna Podedworna, 39, also faces charges of preventing a lawful burial and perverting the course of justice.
Now, Izabela’s daughter, Kasia, who was just nine when she vanished, has told The Sun about an odd phone conversation she had in the hours after her mum was first reported missing.
Kasia and her grandmother would speak to Izabela every day over the phone after her move to Britain – but when she suddenly stopped, they became frantic with worry.
The young girl had been continuously trying to contact her mum when an unknown woman answered and told her she didn’t know Izabela and hung up.
Kasia told us: “It was a conversation of a few seconds, I was only a child.
“The woman, as far as I remember, told me that she doesn’t know my mother, doesn’t know who Izabela is, and hung up.”
Soon after that, Kasia recalls, the phone was disconnected.
Her family – who don’t speak English – relayed all of this to Polish cops at the time but the trail eventually ran cold, without any answers about what had happened.
Derbyshire Constabulary say the first they heard of Izabela was last month when Kasia, now 25, after years of appeals for help, got in touch on a whim.
She was as surprised as anyone that British cops hadn’t been involved in the case at all – assuming Polish forces must have been liaising with them all these years.
And Izabela’s case might not be the only one to slip through the cracks.
Speaking to The Sun, former top Scotland Yard cop Peter Bleksley said: “Given all the circumstances, my question is how many more? How many other cases are like this in the UK?”
He said it’s so easy for someone to move to the UK and then after months or even years disappear but because they’re not part of a stable support network, are never reported to police.
He added: “How many more have entered communities, but are murdered and done away with but no one is going to miss them?”
Of course, Izabela’s family, particularly daughter Kasia, never did give up looking – but were let down by authorities again and again.
Speaking to The Sun after remains were found in the garden of a home in Princes Street – a road where Izabela had lived – last week, Kasia had said: “I definitely want to know the truth as soon as possible.”
Her mum, who had called back home every day prior to vanishing on August 29 2010, had communicated to the family she planned to return home imminently.
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It’s understood Kasia’s grandmother had even sent her daughter money to buy a plane ticket but she never arrived and her phone was suddenly deactivated after the strange call.
When they reported her missing to Polish cops, it seems they simply assumed she’d made it back to her homeland.
They told Izabela’s family they checked hospitals and prisons, and over the years did collect DNA samples, including hair from her wedding veil.
However, Kasia said the case was then archived in the mid-2010s, and her loved ones feared they would never learn what happened.
Mr Bleksley said: “In terms of the Polish police, they paid it absolute lip service. Not in a hospital, not in a jail, don’t really care.”
In contrast, he said the investigation by Derbyshire Constabulary “moved at break neck speed”, which is a credit to those involved.
“From it getting reported, even having heard her name for the first time, it’s only days until someone has been arrested, re-arrested, and now in custody,” he continued.
“In stark contrast to the Polish police, Derbyshire have taken it very seriously, they must have made a considerable amount of enquiries to rapidly make arrests and nail the correct address, start excavating and unfortunately find remains.”
He said he hoped “despite the passage of time” the remains “provide a treasure trove of forensic evidence”.
Mr Bleksley went on to say: “It smacks to me that somebody was desperate to tell the police what they knew, and they had been waiting for that knock on the door all that time.”
He said the excavation “will be absolutely painstaking” because “any tiny microscopic” piece of forensic evidence “will be crucial to nailing the case”.
“This is almost like a textbook test of modern forensic science,” he added.
Asked if he believes Izabela – if the remains prove to be hers – was killed by someone she knew, Mr Bleksley said: “That is very difficult to speculate. The fact that arrests were made so swiftly, indicates to me that these were people that were known to each other – that I will say…
“I’m not being intentionally flippant here but they are going to solve this.
“Somebody, I feel, is desperate to tell people what they saw. That’s why it’s galloped forward so quickly. Someone’s almost gone ‘oh I thought you’d never come – right okay, this is what I saw, this is who did it.’”
Mr Bleksley added: “As much as we criticise our police, and as much as we at times fall short and fail us all, by and large, when it comes to the big, serious, major investigations, they do very well.”
He pointed to examples of Brits who have lost loved ones abroad and they’ve remained unexplained, including Madeleine McCann.
“We sometimes have a lot to be grateful for when it comes to our police force investigating serious crime,” he said.
Mr Bleksley also added that had Madeleine – who vanished while on holiday in Portugal in 2007, aged three – gone missing “under similar circumstances” in the UK, “that case would have been solved a very long time ago”.
During his career he’s worked with police forces across the world, including the US, Belgium, France and the Netherlands, sometimes undercover.
He championed British forces, in comparison, for their work ethics and systems of investigation.
Asked if whilst working in other countries he recognised blindsides in local cops’ working, he said: “I did, which is why I was called in so often to help foreign law enforcement with their cases.”
The existence of the likes of Europol, Interpol and the National Crime Agency designed to help police communicate internationally, it may appear archaic that a case like Izabela’s can fall through the cracks.
“They can only be effective if the liaison through different countries is good,” said Mr Bleksley.
“In this case, it was appalling to the extent of being non-existent.
“If the Polish police had done their job properly, this case would’ve been solved years ago.”
Asked if it is likely there will be some kind of watchdog probe into what went wrong in Poland, Mr Bleksley said: “That I don’t know, that would be a matter for the family, I’m sure for any forces in the UK, litigation would be pursued, of course, not to mention the complaints procedure.
“I don’t know what the situation is in Poland with regards to that.
He added: “There’s plenty more embarrassment for the Polish police force coming down the line if this case runs its course and ends up in a trial.”
Asked if there’s any chance Derbyshire Police were simply mistaken and, despite their assertions, ignored communications with Poland over the years about the case, Mr Bleksley said it’s unlikely.
“Everything gets logged these days. Everything goes into the computer system and lives there forever.
“Derbyshire Police wouldn’t have been as bullish as they have been by saying we had no trace of this if actually they didn’t have any trace.”
Kasia told The Sun last week, prior to the remains discovery: “When Mum went missing, I was 9 years old, I was a child.
“It was only when I became an adult that I took up the search for Mum again.
“I did everything to publicise my mother’s disappearance; it took me a lot of time, but I hope I will find out the truth.”
She went on to say: “My family reported the case to the Polish police 15 years ago, but now we are finding out that the British police did not receive the report during those 15 years, and they have only just started an investigation.
“The Polish police only checked prisons and hospitals and didn’t find anything significant, and after a few years, the disappearance case went to the archive.”
She continued: “I started looking for her on my own as soon as I became an adult.
“I started publicising my mother’s disappearance in Poland, in the media and on YouTube. I did everything I could, and Polish charities helped me with this.
“I started making posters about my mother’s disappearance. I wrote to the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in London, and they wrote back that they would check the prisons in England and Wales, but I did not receive any information on whether this was actually checked.”
The 25-year-old had hoped her mum had simply decided to start a new life, and she would suddenly appear with a new identity.
However, those hopes were quashed when murder arrests were made, with Kasia admitting: “I’m very upset by the news I’ve received, and I’m so sorry that I received this message and not another one.
“I’ve been looking for her for 15 years, and I hope I finally find out the truth.”
2009
Izabela moves to the UK from Poland
2010
The factory worker is living in Princes Street, Normanton
August 28, 2010
She contacts her family for the last time before she vanishes
May 2025
Derbyshire Police launch a fresh appeal for information and launch a murder investigation
May 28
Two women, aged 39 and 43, as well as a 41-year-old man, are arrested and released on bail
June 2
Human remains are found in a garden of a house on the street where Izabela lived
June 3
A 39-year-old woman, who was previously arrested on suspicion of murder, is rearrested
June 6
Anna Podedworna, 39, has now been charged with murder, preventing a lawful burial and perverting the course of justice
Two other women aged 39 and 43, and two men aged 41 and 48, were arrested on suspicion of murder and all remain on police bail pending further inquiries
Detective Inspector Kane Martin, who is leading the investigation, said after the body was found: “Izabela’s family are at the forefront of our minds following this discovery and, whilst formal identification has not yet taken place, it is our belief that these remains do belong to Izabela.”
Mr Martin went on to say: “We have spoken with Izabela’s family in Poland, and they are aware. Our thoughts are with them at this extremely difficult time.
“Identification of the remains is likely to be a lengthy process, but we will issue updates when we are able.
“I know that reports of these findings will send shockwaves through the local community, and I understand the concern of residents.
“Officers will remain in Princes Street in the coming days, and anyone with concerns is encouraged to speak with them.”
DI Martin explained that a “dedicated team of detectives” would continue their investigation to “piece together information” about the days leading up to Izabela’s death.
Izabela worked at the former Cranberry Foods chicken and turkey factory in Scropton, around 10 miles west of Derby.
Crimestoppers is offering up to £20,000 for exclusive information relating to the investigation that leads to a conviction, with the reward valid for three months until August 27.
Anyone with information can contact the charity via its website, Crimestoppers-uk.org, or by calling 0800 555 111.
Do you know more? Email ryan.merrifield@thesun.co.uk
