Fire ants derive their moniker from two factors: Their red coloring and painful sting. As invasive organisms, fire ants have the ability to invade homes quickly, chewing through electrical wires and disrupting HVAC systems – giving rise to their popular name of “fire ant”.
Fire ants resemble household and garden species in appearance but differ by having an exclusive venom-injecting stinger with pinching mandibles that is designed to inject poison. They often live in mounds.
They are omnivorous
Fire ants are omnivorous insects that consume seeds, plant parts, dead organisms, invertebrates and even other ants as food sources. Additionally they scavenge for food in logs, stumps and beneath tree bark for scraps to feed their nests and survive; damaging crops such as corn, sorghum, okra potatoes sunflowers; tunneling into roots to kill trees while devouring their fruit developing there; preying upon native terrestrial orchids as pollination services from ground-dwelling bees and thynid wasps for pollination services respectively.
As opposed to honeybee colonies, fire ant colonies do not utilize honeycombs for nectar storage. Instead, older larvae collect and store food particles within their bodies allowing them to consume solid foods without returning them back into their nests for digestion by workers. Once stored particles have been processed they are distributed among younger larvae for further processing and distribution within their colony.
Fire ants’ bite can be excruciatingly painful and often results in pustules. Their venom contains alkaloids that produce burning sensations and itching sensations, lasting from seconds to minutes and often followed by persistent itching. Humans typically feel pain lasting seconds to minutes with persistent itching persisting afterwards. Fire ant stinging occurs when an ant latches onto skin with its mandibles and curves around to insert its stinger; this sting can continue even after removal from body.
Reports of multiple-queen colonies (polygyne colonies) have become more prevalent over time, typically boasting smaller overall populations, producing fewer reproductive alates and showing lower aggression than single-queen colonies.
Fire ants, although generally herbivorous, are predators in their own right. Capable of killing small animals like lizards and birds, fire ants are known to attack nests of ground-nesting birds and frogs as well as attacking livestock for food; also observed attacking livestock for feed; known to invade homes where pets reside or attack vulnerable nursing home residents; however there are ways you can keep fire ants away such as keeping pests away from plants.
They are great survivors
Fire ants are resilient survivors when faced with natural disasters. After flooding, they can float on water surface while building rafts from worker ants to stay above the surface and find safety – with workers linking legs together to create pockets of air that provide buoyancy for buoyancy.
These insects possess numerous survival strategies as well. Their sting can cause moderate to severe discomfort for most people, and their bite kills certain bee species, preventing them from producing enough pollen to support the hive. Furthermore, these insects are aggressive creatures and will attack anything which threatens their colony, including pets, livestock or humans.
Fire ants live in colonies that can contain up to 200,000 workers, led by one queen who produces males to breed with. Female fire ant workers produce 1,600 eggs a day; this means one ant could produce over 4 million eggs during its lifetime!
They are well known for being adept at traversing long distances in search of food and mates, often crawling over any surface while hitchhiking rides in objects such as hay bales, processed materials, turf or potted plants – even flying up to 5 km for mating!
As they don’t hibernate during winter months, these insects remain highly vulnerable to cold temperatures. Furthermore, their competitive nature means that they push other insects from their territories in order to establish dominance over any given spot.
Fire ants remain an immense danger to both homes and businesses alike despite their weaknesses, often attacking in swarms in response to any perceived intruder. Their bite can be deadly for some individuals while their saliva contains bacteria which causes infections or pneumonia in humans. There are ways to eliminate fire ants without them returning; one being hiring a professional pest control service which employs advanced technologies and methods to eradicate aggressive pests like these.
They are invasive
Fire ants are an invasive species that have caused significant problems for both people and animals in the US. They displace native ant species, kill birds and mammals, cause economic damages to agriculture, and are difficult to control as they can live in various climates and their aggressive behavior displace native ones. Furthermore, their painful stings may pose threats to pets; according to USDA estimates a fire ant infestation can cost billions in property damages while their bites pose potential threats for livestock as well.
Texas’ most problematic species of fire ant is Solenopsis invicta; accidentally introduced from South America via shiploads of dirt imported to lighten ships back home from South America to fill shiploads up, this was when fire ants made their first US appearance and quickly spread throughout southern states like Texas. They do not have natural predators here and their aggressive nature often proves lethal to wildlife populations.
Ants can also damage crops by feeding on soft plant tissue and killing off new growth buds, as well as clogging irrigation systems or short-circuiting electrical equipment. Ants have also been known to attack people and pets alike – their bite can even prove lethal; they have killed several Texas species such as horned lizards and songbirds! Their stings can be particularly painful to humans; children seem especially sensitive.
Though these pests may seem impossible to eliminate, there are ways you can help stop their spread. Salt mounds around your yard perimeter or spraying insecticides may work but cannot completely get rid of ants that move through underground tunnels and enter your home.
They sting
Fire ants earn their moniker from two factors: first, their fiery red coloring gives them an appearance of heat; and second, the painful sting they cause victims. These pests should be treated immediately as their bite can be dangerous for some individuals and should be addressed as quickly as possible.
Workers ants have barbed-free stingers that allow them to strike multiple times at victims, unlike bees and wasps’ stingers. A fire ant’s ovipositor, used for egg-laying purposes by these insects, also serves as its stinger; this device injects poison directly into victims. Winged reproductive (queen) ants don’t have stingers but use their heads as ovipositors when laying eggs on victims.
Fire ant venom contains toxic alkaloids such as piperidine that are toxic to cells. Their bite can cause pain, itching, swelling, redness and reddening for up to one week after contact; severe allergic reactions could even prove fatal; in these instances it is important to seek medical advice immediately if a severe reaction arises.
An insect sting leaves behind a red raised blister that quickly swells and becomes itchy, lasting anywhere between one to seven days. For mild stings, antihistamines such as Benadryl or acetaminophen may provide adequate relief; alternatively hydrocortisone cream may reduce itching.
If you want to protect your home from fire ants, try these strategies:
Keep fire ants at bay by clearing away any ant mounds in and around your yard, using fire ant spray, or taking other measures such as not walking over mounds of fire ants even when wearing protective clothing – doing so could provoke them into attacking their colony, and increase the chance that you’ll get stung! Additionally, tread carefully when walking near mounds containing fire ants; any attempt at treading on one could provoke its inhabitants into attacking and cause more than likely stings from fire ant colonies than anything else! Stepping or walking over any mound could provoke its colony into attacking and you risk more likely getting stung than not walking carefully around it.