Fire Ants

 If you have been in Texas, or almost anywhere in the south for more than twenty four hours, you have no doubt encountered or at least seen evidence of the Red Imported Fire Ant.

The Imported Red Fire Ant

Fire ants were accidentally introduced into Mobile, Alabama from South America more than sixty years ago.  They now infest more than 260 million acres.  They reached Texas in the early 50's and spread throughout the eastern two thirds of the state and moving on. Thousands of reproductive females are produced per colony, and when mated begin a new colony wherever they land.  This presents a major control  problem as well as a quarantine problem 

Fire ants are aggressive and will attack anything that disturbs them. They sting repeatedly, seemingly onsignal and all at the same time.Once stung a white pustule forms on the skin as seen in the picture below. The stings are not normally life threatening but the pustules once broken are easily infected and leave permanent scars. Some people are sensitive or allergic to the sting. In those cases, symptoms may include chest pains, nausea, severe sweating, loss of breath, serious swelling, slurred speech, and in severe cases lapse into a coma. In those cases, the person should be taken to an emergency facility.

Fire Ant Biology

Fire ants are omnivorous, feeding on almost any plant or animal material, insects however seem to be their preferred food. The arrival of fire ants in an ecosystem can wreck havoc on the local ecological community. Studies have been shown that a minimum of twofold reduction occurs among populations of field mice, snakes, turtles, and other vertebrates when fire ants are allowed toestablish colonies in a given area. In some instances entire species have been eliminated from a habitat due to fire ants. In agricultural areas, Fire ants have been documented at damaging fifty seven species of cultivated plants.


Fire ant colonies consist of eggs, brood, workers, winged males, winged females, and one or more reproductive queens. At maturity, a single queen fire ant colony can consist of 250,000 ants. The queen lives for up to seven years and produces an average of 1600 eggs per day throughout her life.


Alate, or winged forms, are most abundant in the late spring and early summer, but can be found throughout the year. Nuptial flights usually occur in mid morning one or two days after a rainfall when the temperatures are above 22 degrees centigrade. The males fly first and await the female in the air. The females meet them and mate in the air. The males die after mating. The females shed their wings and search for a suitable nesting site.

One of the identifying characteristics of a fire ant colony is their mound as seen as here. There are usually no external openings in the mound. Tunnels below the surface radiate from the mound allowing foraging workers easy entrance and exits. The purpose of the mound is for three reasons: a flight pad for nuptial flights, to raise the colony above the water table in saturated ground, and to supply warmth like a solar panel during cold months.

Mounds are an important part of the colony, but not essential. In hot weather they are sometimes abandoned. With sufficient moisture and food, fire ants will nest in a wide variety of sites such as rotten logs, under pavement, in dried cow manure, in electrical boxes near the ground, inside homes, and from a few reports in automobiles which would definitely cause road rage.


The ant nests are mounds about the size of mole hills littered throughout the landscape.  Should you be so foolish or unlucky to disturb a mound, you will be greeted by thousands of ants.  They are small, 1/8 to 3/8 inches in size, rusty brown with a black abdomen, and they sting.  The sting feels like a match was put out on your skin. Symptoms of the sting include burning, itching, and a white pustule that forms in a few days.

The stings are not usually life threatening however the pustule often opens and can become infected and leave scars. The ants can also sting repeatedly, and with enough ants on you stinging can cause some severe problems.  Some are also sensitive to the sting, or allergic.  In these cases one or more stings may lead to  chest pains, nausea, severe sweating, loss of breath, serious swelling, and slurred speech.  Some may even lapse into a coma after only one sting.  Immediate medical emergency attention must be given to anyone displaying those symptoms.  There have been some fatalities documented, but few compared to bee and wasps stings.

This picture was taken after a rain. The pan contains used charcoal from a smoker. Apparently there was a nest hidden in the spent coal.  When it flooded the ants form an ant arc sacrificing some for the good of the colony.  This happens frequently in nature, and accounts for the ants surviving floods and some of their rapid  movement from place to place.  You have to admire their persistence, at least until your bitten.  For more information email us at info@scapest.com or also http://www.ento.okstate.edu/fireants/ppt/ 

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