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External Websites
- Victoria State Government - Agriculture Victoria - Fire ants
- The Guardian - What are fire ants, and what will happen if these tiny killers take hold across Australia?
- NPIC - Fire Ants
- Academia - Dynamics and shape of large fire ant rafts
- Texas A and M University - Texas Imported Fire Ant Research and Management Project - Learn About Fire Ants
- Healthline - Fire Ant Bites
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
- fire ant - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
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While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
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Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
External Websites
- Victoria State Government - Agriculture Victoria - Fire ants
- The Guardian - What are fire ants, and what will happen if these tiny killers take hold across Australia?
- NPIC - Fire Ants
- Academia - Dynamics and shape of large fire ant rafts
- Texas A and M University - Texas Imported Fire Ant Research and Management Project - Learn About Fire Ants
- Healthline - Fire Ant Bites
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
- fire ant - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
Also known as: Solenopsis, thief ant
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last Updated: •Article History
tropical fire ant
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- Also called:
- thief ant
- Related Topics:
- red imported fire ant
- On the Web:
- Academia - Dynamics and shape of large fire ant rafts (July 10, 2024)
See all related content →
Recent News
July 24, 2024, 4:21 AM ET (The Guardian)
A true California hot spot: fire ants invade town loved by celebrities
fire ant, (genus Solenopsis), genus of nearly 200 species of ants that occur in tropical regions of the world, such as Central and South America, and in some temperate regions, such as North America. The sting of a fire ant is rated 1.2 on the Schmidt sting pain index, developed by American chemist and entomologist Justin O. Schmidt to categorize the stings of ants, bees, and wasps. Schmidt, who used himself as a test subject for his index, described the pain of the sting as “sharp, sudden, mildly alarming. Like walking across a shag carpet and reaching for the light switch.”
Fire ants are social insects, and each colony consists of a queen, winged males and females, and three kinds of workers. A single nest averages approximately 25,000 workers, but far larger populations are common. Fire ants communicate through chemical secretions and stridulation (sounds produced by rubbing or drumming one body part against another). Adult workers display aggressive behavior when under the threat of attack from neighboring ant colonies, while young fire ants, whose stingers and external skeletons are not yet fully developed, play dead.
Taxonomy
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Formicidae
See also list of ants, bees, and wasps.
The best-known member of the genus, the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta), was accidentally introduced into the southern United States from South America. The red or yellowish ants are 1–5 mm (0.04–0.2 inch) in length and can inflict a severe sting. The semipermanent nest consists of a large, loose soil mound with open craters for ventilation. Since nests may number from 50 to more than 100 in a heavily infested field, plowing and cultivating become difficult or impossible. The insect is considered a pest, and the workers are notorious for damaging planted grain and attacking poultry. In some areas the red imported fire ant has been displaced by the unrelated tawny crazy ant (also called hairy crazy ant, Nylanderia fulva), a species known in South America that was first detected in the United States (in Texas) in 2002. The hairy crazy ant is extremely difficult to control and is considered to be a major pest and threat to native species and ecosystems.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Melissa Petruzzello.