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What is surprising about red imported fire ants?

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By Chelsie Vandaveer

March 5, 2003

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Between 1933 and 1945, a small ant from South America was introduced either in Mobile, Alabama or Pensacola, Florida. Since then, the ant has spread through the south from North Carolina to Texas, and recently to New Mexico, Arizona, and southern California.

The red imported fire ant or RIFA (Solenopsis invicta Buren) originated in the basin of the Paraguay and Paraná Rivers. Coming from a grassland/savannah habitat, the creatures were immediately 'at-home' with open sunny short-grass lawns typical of the landscape around tract housing, parks, golf courses, pastures, and fields.

Red Fire Ants, Attacking Lizard, USA Photographic Print by David M. Dennis
Buy Photographic Print at AllPosters.com

RIFA bite as well as sting, the bite serves to give the ant a good grip while it inserts the stinger. According to Laura Collins and Rudolf Scheffrahn of the University of Florida, the venom is composed of alkaloids and proteins. The venom is painful and a necrotoxin (causing the death of the tissue). A pustule forms at the site often leaving a scar. The ants swarm over any animal disturbing their mound. Enough stings and a victim can go into anaphylaxis. (Red Imported Fire Ant, IFAS, University of Florida)

Human health concerns aside; the ants wreak havoc on ecosystems. According to Clemson University, Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, RIFA displace native ant colonies, but do not fill the role of those ants in the environment. Foraging fire ants sting to death and consume any animal or insect that cannot defend itself. The ants are known to attack nestling birds and young animals. Ground nesting birds like bob-white quail are particularly vulnerable. (Ecological Impacts of the Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta), Clemson University)

Ant colonies are monogyne--one queen, many workers. An RIFA queen can lay 1,500 eggs a day and she may live for seven years. Her colony may have 240,000 workers. Fire ants, though, did something remarkable after importation to the U.S. In the 1970s, some RIFA colonies became larger with more colonies per acre. These are polygyne (multiple queens) colonies--more queens but each smaller and less productive, the workers are smaller and fewer, and many of the males hatched for the nuptial flight are sterile.

Surprisingly, fire ants make noises. Texas Imported Fire Ant Research and Management Plan, Texas A&M University has a recording of the stridulations of fire ants. To hear a fire ant stridulate, click on the link:

http://fireant.tamu.edu/materials/multimedia_sounds/

Click on the fire ant stridulate link.

RIFA are attracted to certain elements in the landscape. TAMU also has suggestions to reduce fire ants in the yard. To learn more, click on the link:

http://fireant.tamu.edu/materials/factsheets_pubs/pdf/fapfs026.2002rev.pdf

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