Fire Ant Facts — Your Most Burning Questions Answered
A large fire ant hill in a suburban yard in the winter.
If you have recently moved from the north to the southern United States, you may be shocked to see all of these fire ant mounds all over the place. In fact, you may not even know what they are. Until you accidentally step in one and then seemingly the entire ant colony swarms your feet and legs, biting you all at once. Of course, if you are from South Carolina, you've known to look out for fire ants all your life.
It’s not a fun experience —to be bitten by one fire ant, much less a lot of fire ants. Most of us who live in the South try to avoid them like the plague.
But maybe you are curious about these little invaders and their hidden lives.
So we’ll go over some important fire ant facts and answer your most burning fire ant questions in this post:
What is a fire ant?
Where did fire ants come from?
Where do fire ants live?
What do fire ants eat?
What does a fire ant nest look like?
Why are fire ants so aggressive? Why do fire ants bite?
What is the life cycle of a fire ant?
Are there fire ants with wings?
Can fire ants float?
Do fire ants bite or sting?
Are fire ants dangerous?
How much money is spent on fire ant control annually in the US?
Do fire ants have any natural predators?
And in our next post, we’ll talk about how to kill fire ants and rid your yard of these pests. Because we know that is what you REALLY want to know.
A dead fire ant belly up on a white background.
Looking for fire ant control near you in the Columbia, SC area? We can help.
If you have fire ants in South Carolina — in the Midlands — we can be a fire ant colony’s worst nightmare.
At Boots On Enterprises, we are well-equipped to manage fire ant populations, treat and care for lawns, trees, shrubs, and all of your landscaping needs. This includes tree and lawn treatments for plant diseases and pests like fire ants.
If you’re ready for a good fire ant yard treatment and need help with ants in South Carolina, don’t wait.
Contact us today for a FREE estimate. Next-day and same-week service is available.
Phone: 803-521-4978
Email: bootsonenterprises@gmail.com
Fire ants up close: Extreme close-up of worker fire ants feeding fire ant pupae.
What is a fire ant?
What are fire ants? Fire ants look a lot like many other ants. There are red and black varieties. They tend to be smaller than most other species of ants but quite a bit bigger than sugar ants.
What does a fire ant look like?
Fire ants don’t look that different from other ants. Often, people don’t realize that an ant is, indeed, a fire ant until it bites.
They usually have a dull reddish-black or reddish-brown color. And their bodies are covered in tiny hairs. They have 6 legs, a head, a thorax, and an abdomen. They have strong mandibles that can pinch. And a stinger on their tail end.
(See below for information about winged fire ants.)
How big are fire ants?
The size of a fire ant ranges from ⅛ to ¼ of an inch. Of course, the workers are smaller than the queens.
Fire ant size vs other ants
A red imported fire ant is usually a bit smaller than other ants like carpenter ants. But they are a good bit bigger than sugar ants.
Fire ants vs red ants
“Red ants” and “fire ants” are names that are often used interchangeably referring to the same species, Solenopsis invicta, or red imported fire ants.
There are some other ant species that have a reddish color. And sometimes the term, “red ant” refers to any ant with such a coloration.
Illustration of areas where fire ants live around the world — see areas in red.
Where did fire ants come from?
The fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, came into a port in Mobile, Alabama (unintentionally) on boats from Argentina over 100 years ago, leaving all natural predators behind and becoming an invasive species here in the US.
Likely, the fire ants were inadvertently included in soil that was used for ballast in trade ships.
Where do fire ants live?
Red fire ants thrive in warm, humid climates like many parts of South America. They have also accidentally been spread to parts of Asia, Australia, and many tropical and subtropical islands, as well as in warmer parts of Europe.
The Southern fire ant lives all across the southern United States and the southeast US. We certainly all know that there are more than enough fire ants in South Carolina. You can see fire ant hills in almost every yard, park, field, and forested area across the state.
These ants don’t tend to spread much to the north where the soil freezes in the winter and warm seasons are much shorter.
Fire ants prefer open, sunny areas like grasslands, farmlands, urban areas, and suburban areas.
A team of red fire ants lift sugary food together on a piece of concrete.
What do fire ants eat?
What does a fire ant eat? A better question might be… what don’t they eat? As omnivores, fire ants eat almost anything. They are opportunistic foragers who will eat insects, small animals, dead animals, garbage, fruit, seeds, plants, and human food.
A large fire ant mound near a tree on a grassy hill on a sunny day in spring with trees and blue sky with a few white clouds.
What does a fire ant nest look like?
A fire ant hill has a very characteristic rounded shape and can be up to 2 feet tall. It looks kind of like someone took a shovel full of dirt and dropped it on the ground. But if you look closely, you’ll see lots of little holes in fire ant mounds where the worker ants can come in and out from the intricate network of tunnels they have dug underground.
If you dare to disturb the nest, the entire fire ant colony, it will seem, will suddenly appear to attack you.
Why are fire ants so aggressive? Why do fire ants bite?
From the fire ants’ perspective, they are protecting their nest, their babies, and their queen. They have a fierce instinct for self defense and will do everything in their power to eliminate any threat they perceive to their nest. It is a survival mechanism.
Fire ants use a technique called, “swarming.” It can be quite effective… and pretty shocking… to any unfortunate animal or person who disturbs a nest.
The ants release pheromones that alert other worker ants about an alarm. They then climb up onto their target and coordinate their stinging at the same time.
Their aggression gives them a competitive advantage over resources against other ants and animals in their territories. But it also makes them dangerous.
An illustration of the life cycle of an ant.
What is the life cycle of a fire ant?
The fire ant life cycle has four stages. Under the right conditions, the entire life cycle takes about 4-6 weeks.
Egg — A queen fire ant lays eggs deep inside the ant nest. Workers tend the eggs until they hatch in 7-10 days.
Larva — Larvae look like grubs without legs. They are a cream color and require constant feeding and care by worker ants. They molt several times as they grow and get larger.
Pupa — Then the fire ant larvae are enclosed in a cocoon as they transform to an adult ant and undergo metamorphosis.
Adult — A pale adult ant emerges from the cocoon and is soft, at first, like during the larva stage. Over time, the ants darken and harden.
What roles do worker ants play in the colony?
Adult worker ants (sterile females) take on certain roles like finding food, tending to the queen fire ant, caring for the young, maintaining the nest, or defending the mound.
How long do fire ants live?
Male red fire ants (also called drones) have the shortest lifespan of all the castes in the colony. They usually only live from a few weeks to several months and die shortly after mating with the queen.
Workers usually only live from a few months to a year.
Queens can live 7 or more years. And a single colony may have dozens of queens. Each queen can lay up to 1,500 eggs daily.
Lifespan is affected by temperature, food supply, and other factors — like whether or not someone finds a good fire ant yard treatment to dramatically shorten the fire ant lifespan.
Fire ants and fire ant queen, extreme close-up view on dirt.
Are there fire ants with wings?
Flying fire ants are a real thing. It’s not your imagination. But only male fire ants and virgin queen ants are winged. Female worker ants do not have wings.
Once a queen mates, she can lay thousands of eggs every day. And, after she has mated, her wings are torn off.
The males keep their wings but don’t live long after mating.
A floating fire ant colony working together to survive a flooded nest.
Can fire ants float?
Yes, fire ants can float on top of water to escape flooding. They have amazing survival skills and can make a fire ant raft and move their colony safely to higher ground. So flooding doesn’t usually destroy them. They can even survive quite a long time in turbulent water.
While some ants may be lost in a prolonged flooding event, many will live to find and build a new nest and bring up new generations.
A person’s foot covered with fire ant bites that itch and hurt.
Do fire ants bite or sting?
Does a fire ant sting or bite? Unfortunately, it’s not an either/or thing. A fire ant stings and bites. They bite your skin with their powerful jaws and hold the skin in place while they sting you. It’s the stinger that really hurts. It injects fire ant venom that packs a punch.
Fire ant bite symptoms
A fire ant stinger injects venom into the skin which causes immediate burning and stinging. The site generally develops into a blister or pustule that is quite itchy for days or even weeks. If not properly treated, people can develop secondary bacterial infections like impetigo from scratching the bites.
For information on treating fire ant bites, check out the Cleveland Clinic’s resource or check with your physician. If you are experiencing a severe reaction, please call 911 immediately.
Are fire ants dangerous?
Yes, fire ants (especially red imported fire ants) can be quite dangerous for people and pets who are allergic to them. Some people experience swelling at the sting site. Others can even go into anaphylaxis, which is a life-threatening allergic reaction.
This means that many people in South Carolina and across the southern US are afraid to go outside because for some, even one or two bites could be deadly.
But even people who are not allergic to fire ants can end up with a life-threatening situation if enough fire ants bite them at one time.
For people who are, thankfully, not allergic to fire ant stings, it is still no fun at all to experience the results of fire ant venom. And it makes a lot of people think twice about enjoying the great outdoors.
Living in fear of fire ants is no way to live. We want to see people be able to enjoy outdoor living in their yards and are committed to helping with solving fire ant pest problems. That’s why we are here to help.
Red fire ants catching prey as a group.
How much money is spent on fire ant control annually in the US?
The control of fire ants and the treatment of fire ant bites/stings result in an enormous economic cost. The USDA estimates that over $6 billion is spent yearly on damage, medical treatment, and fire ant control.
That is an insane amount of money devoted to dealing with fire ants. And many methods of fire ant control are not very effective. That’s why it’s crucial to have the best possible plan if you live in an area with fire ants.
An armadillo walking on the ground, sniffing the dirt for food around clumps of grass.
Do fire ants have any natural predators?
In Argentina and South America, fire ants have quite a few natural enemies, so they don’t create the problem that they do here in the States. Here, they grow unchecked, which is the problem with non-native species of plants or animals. The ecosystem isn’t designed to keep them in balance in other places.
In Argentina, Phorid flies, Aphanogmus wasps, certain ants, and particular reptiles and amphibians keep the fire ant population under control.
What eats fire ants?
There are insects and animals that eat these aggressive, invasive ants even in North America. Some of the biggest predators of fire ants include armadillos, certain birds, Phorid flies, ant-decapitating flies, Tachinid flies, certain nematodes (microscopic worms), raccoons, and skunks have been known to feed on fire ants or to destroy them in various ways.
Unfortunately, fire ant predators in the US don’t tend to be able to keep the populations under control the way the predators do in South America. In South America, there are also viruses that act as biological control agents that aren’t found in North America. Researchers are studying these pathogens to see if any would be useful to introduce here in the States to help reduce fire ant populations.
Do chickens eat fire ants?
Yes, chickens do eat fire ants but not in large enough quantities that it will be helpful as a main source of pest control.
Ready for serious ant killer options? Let us help you get rid of fire ants in the Lexington and Columbia, SC area.
If you are ready for a fire ant exterminator, Boots On Enterprises can help. We have outdoor ant insecticides and a comprehensive ant control plan to make your yard a paradise for your family and friends.
For information on fire ant control, please check out this post.
Contact us today for a FREE estimate. Next-day and same-week service is available.
Phone: 803-521-4978
Email: bootsonenterprises@gmail.com
