Fire Ants, Smire Ants!

Fire ants, love them or hate them is up to you, but these ants are some of the most damaging ants that are non-native to the U.S. The majority of fire ants found in the southwestern and southern U.S. are the red imported fire ants (RIFA). The RIFA was accidentally introduced into the states via a South American cargo ship that docked in Mobile, Alabama, in the 1930's. The RIFA is estimated to cost an estimated $5 billion dollars annually on medical treatment, damage and in pest control of RIFA invasioned areas. They also cost an estimated $750 million dollars in damage to agriculture, this includes veterinarian bills, crop damages and livestock deaths. It is estimated that between 30-60% of people living in fire ant infested areas are bitten each year.

Unlike other ants, which bite and spray acid into the wound, fire ants will bite only to get a grip and then sting with their abdomen to inject a toxic alkaloid venom called solenopsin. It can be quite a painful, burning sting to a human, hence the name "fire ant." If you are sensitive to the fire ant sting, it can be deadly. The really neat thing about the venom is that it is both insecticidal and an antibiotic. Researchers are convinced that ant nurse workers will spray their young to protect them from microorganisms.

The bodies of fire ants, like all insect bodies, are broken up into three sections, the head, the thorax, and the abdomen; they also have three pairs of legs and a pair of antennae. The fire ant can be distinguished by their copper brown head with a darker abdomen. The worker ants are reddish to blackish in color and their size varies from 2mm to 6 mm (.12in to .24in) The nest of the ants will contain various sizes. The typical fire ant colony will produce large mounds in open areas, and feed mostly on young plants, seeds, crickets, and even small animals.

The fire ants have bodies just like all other insects. They are broken up into sections, the head, the thorax, and the abdomen; they also have three pairs of legs and a pair of antennae. The fire ant can be identified by their copper brown head with darker abdomens. The worker ants are reddish to blackish in color and their size varies from 2mm to 6 mm (.12in to .24in) The nest will contain many different sizes of the fire ants. A typical fire ant colony will produce large mounds in open areas, and feed mostly on young plants, seeds, crickets, and even small animals.

Getting rid of the fire ants is not as easy as it looks. Fire ants nest in the soil, often near moist areas such as river banks, pond edges, watered lawns and even highway edges. The nest will usually not be visible as it can be under objects such as timber, logs, bricks, rocks, paver stones and more. If there is no cover for the nest, you will see dome shaped mounds in open spaces, mainly in fields, parks and lawns.

To get rid of them you will need to locate their main base of operation, their nest so to speak. But be very careful they are aggressive and will attack you; you may have to contact a professional to help you eradicate these ants if you are not confident about eradicating them on your own. One way to eradicate them is the Texas 2 step organic method of fire ant control; developed by Texas A&M University it provides suggestions for less toxic ways to remove the ants. A professional may use 3 different ways of eliminating the pest. Baiting, mound drenching and broadcasting of contact pesticides may be used.

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