Fire ant

Fire Ant

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Fire ant

Fire ants, are stinging ant

Ant

Ants are Eusociality insects of the family Formicidae, and along with the related wasps and bees, they belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolution from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130 million years ago and Evolutionary radiation after the rise of flowering plants....
s with over 280 species worldwide. They have several common names including Ginger Ants and Tropical Fire Ants (English), aka-kami-ari (Japanese), and Feuerameise (German).

bodies of fire ants, like all insect

Insect

Insects are the biggest class of arthropods and the only ones with wings. They are the most diverse group of animals on the planet. They are most diverse at the equator and their diversity declines toward the poles....
s' bodies, are broken up into three sections: the head

Head

In anatomy, the head of an animal is the rostral part that usually comprises the brain, eyes, ears, nose, and mouth . Some very simple animals may not have a head, but many bilateria do....
, the thorax

Thorax

The thorax is a division of an animal's body that lies between the head and the abdomen.In mammals, the thorax is the region of the body formed by the sternum, the thoracic vertebrae and the ribs....
, and the abdomen

Abdomen

In vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity....
, with three pairs of leg

Leg

Leg may refer to the following places in Poland:*A former name for the town of Elk *Leg, Lower Silesian Voivodeship *Leg, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship ...
s and a pair of antenna

Antenna (biology)

Discussion

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Appearance

The bodies of fire ants, like all insect

Insect

Head

Thorax

Abdomen

Leg

Leg may refer to the following places in Poland:*A former name for the town of Elk *Leg, Lower Silesian Voivodeship *Leg, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship ...
s and a pair of antenna

Antenna (biology)

Antennae are paired appendages connected to the front-most morphogenesis of arthropods. In crustaceans, they are biramous and present on the first two segments of the head, with the smaller pair known as antennules....
e. Fire ants can be distinguished from other ants by their copper brown head and body with a darker abdomen. The worker ants are blackish to reddish, and their size varies from 2mm to 6 mm (0.12 in to 0.24 in). These different sizes of the ants can all exist in the same nest.

Solenopsis sp. ants can be identified with three body features - a pedicel with two nodes, an unarmed propodium, and antennae with 11 segments and a two segmented club.

Behaviour

A typical fire ant colony

Ant colony

File:Ant nest.JPGAn ant colony is an underground lair where ants live. Colonies consist of a series of underground chambers, connected to each other and the surface of the earth by small tunnels....
produces large mounds in open areas, and feeds mostly on young plants, seeds, and sometimes crickets. Fire ants often attack small animals and can kill them. Unlike many other ant

Ant

Acid

An acid is traditionally considered any chemical compound that, when dissolved in water, gives a solution with a hydrogen ion Activity greater than in pure water, i.e....
on the wound, fire ants only bite to get a grip and then sting (from the abdomen) and inject a toxic alkaloid

Alkaloid

Alkaloids are naturally occurring chemical compounds containing base nitrogen atoms. The name derives from the word alkaline and was used to describe any nitrogen-containing base....
venom

Venom

Venom is any of a variety of poisons used by certain types of animals. Generally, venom is injected by such means as a bite or a sting....
called Solenopsin

Solenopsin

Solenopsin is an alkaloid which inhibits angiogenesis via the phosphoinositol-3 kinase signaling pathway, in addition to contributing to the known and often despised toxic effect of fire ant venom....
, a compound from the class of piperidines. For humans, this is a painful sting, it hurts, a sensation similar to what one feels when burned by fire

Fire

Fire is the oxidation of a combustion material releasing heat, light, and various Chemical reaction products such as carbon dioxide and water....
—hence the name fire ant—and the aftereffects of the sting can be deadly to sensitive individuals. Although fire ants do not typically seek out and attack the face, they are as likely to attack an exposed and vulnerable face as any other body part. The venom is both insecticidal and antibiotic. Researchers have proposed that nurse workers will spray their brood to protect them from microorganisms.

Fire ants nest in the soil

Soil

Soil is the naturally occurring, unconsolidated or loose covering on the Earth's surface. Soil is composed of particles of broken rock that have been altered by chemical and environmental processes including weathering and erosion....
, often near moist areas, such as river banks, pond

Pond

A pond is a body of water smaller than a lake, both being examples of terrain feature. Although the term pond is universally used to describe waterbodies that are smaller than lakes, an internationally recognised size cutoff has not yet been agreed, with values ranging from 2 hectares to 8 hectares used to distinguish the smaller from...
edges, watered lawn

Lawn

A lawn is an area of recreational or amenity land planted with Poaceae, and sometimes clover and other plants, which are maintained at a low, even height....
s and highway

Highway

A highway is a main road intended for travel by the public between important destinations, such as city and towns. Highway designs vary widely and can range from a two-lane road without margins to a multi-lane, grade separated freeway....
edges. Usually the nest will not be visible as it will be built under objects such as timber

Timber

Timber may refer to:* Lumber, i.e. wood materials* Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S. state of Oregon* Timber , a 1984 arcade game by Bally Midway...
, logs, rock

Rock (geology)

In geology, rock is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock....
s, pavers, brick

Brick

A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using mortar ....
s, etc. If there is no cover for nesting, dome

Dome

A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....
-shaped mounds will be constructed, but this is usually only found in open spaces such as field

Field (agriculture)

In agriculture, a field refers generally to an area of land enclosed or otherwise and used for agricultural purposes such as:* Cultivating crop ...
s, park

Park

A park is a Environmental protection, in its natural or semi-natural state or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment....
s and lawns. These mounds can reach heights of 40 cm (15.7 in).

Colonies are founded by small groups of queens or single queens. Even if only one queen survives, within a month or so the colony can expand to thousands of individuals. Some colonies may be polygynous (having multiple queens per nest).

Roles

Queens

A queen is generally the largest individual in the colony. The primary function of the queen is reproduction; she may live for 6-7 years and produce up to 1,500 egg

Egg (biology)

In most birds and reptiles, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum. To enable incubation the egg is usually kept within a favourable temperature range as it nourishes and protects the growing embryo....
s per day. Many fire ant colonies will have more than one queen.

Males

Mate with the queen ant in order to produce eggs.But soon the male dies off.

Workers

The workers are sterile females who build and repair the nest, care for the young, defend the nest, and feed both young and adult ants. The worker ants also go find supplies to build the nest.

Introduced species

Although most fire ant species do not bother people and are not invasive due to biological factors, Solenopsis invicta, commonly known as the Red imported fire ant (or RIFA) is an invasive pest in many areas of the world, notably the United States

United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, Australia

Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
, the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
, China

China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
and Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan is an island in East Asia. "Taiwan" is also commonly used to refer to the country governed by the Republic of China and to the ROC itself, which governs the island of Taiwan, Orchid Island and Green Island, Taiwan in the Pacific Ocean off the Taiwan coast, the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait, and Kinmen and the Matsu Islands...
. The RIFA was accidentally introduced into the United States due to a South American cargo ship coming to an Alabama port in 1918, but now infests the majority of the Southern

Southern United States

The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive region in the southeastern and south-central United States....
and Southwestern United States

Southwestern United States

The Southwestern area of the United States could be defined as the states west of the Mississippi River, with the qualification of a certain northern limit, such as the 37th parallel north, 38th parallel north, 39th parallel north, or 40th parallel north line....
.

In the US, the FDA

Food and Drug Administration

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is an Government agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and is responsible for regulating and supervising the safety of foods, dietary supplements, Medications, vaccines, Biopharmaceutical, blood transfusion, medical devices, Electromagnetic radiation-emitting devices, veteri...
estimates that more than US$5 billion is spent annually on medical treatment, damage, and control in RIFA-infested areas. Furthermore, the ants cause approximately US$750 million in damage annually to agricultural assets, including veterinarian

Veterinarian

A veterinarian or a veterinary surgeon , often shortened to vet, is a physician for animals and a practitioner of veterinary medicine....
bills and livestock

Livestock

Livestock is the term used to refer to a domesticated animal intentionally reared in an agricultural setting to produce things such as food or fibre, or for its labour....
loss as well as crop

Crop (agriculture)

A crop is the annual or season's yield of any plant that is grown in significant quantities to be harvested as food, as livestock fodder, or for any other economic purpose....
loss. Since September 2004, Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan is an island in East Asia. "Taiwan" is also commonly used to refer to the country governed by the Republic of China and to the ROC itself, which governs the island of Taiwan, Orchid Island and Green Island, Taiwan in the Pacific Ocean off the Taiwan coast, the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait, and Kinmen and the Matsu Islands...
has been seriously affected by the red fire ant.

The US, Taiwan and Australia all have ongoing national efforts to control or eradicate the species, but, other than Australia, none have been especially effective. In Australia an intensive program costing A$175 million has, at February 2007, eradicated 99% of fire ants from the sole infestation occurring in South East Queensland.

Symptoms and first aid

The venom of a fire ant sting causes stinging and swells into a bump. This can cause much pain

Pain

Pain, in the sense of physical pain, is a typical sensory experience that may be described as the unpleasant awareness of a noxious stimulus or bodily harm....
and irritation at times, especially when stung repeatedly by several at once. The bump often forms into a white pustule

Pustule

A 'pustule' is a small elevation of the skin containing purulent material usually consisting of necrotic inflammatory cells.No absolute size, or range of sizes, is specified in this definition, as there seems to be no general consensus within the literature, reflected in the text Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: Clin...
, which is at risk of becoming infected

Infection

An infection is the detrimental colonization of a host organism by a foreign species. In an infection, the infecting organism seeks to utilize the host resources to multiply ....
if scratched, however if left alone usually go down within a few days. The pustules are unattractive and uncomfortable while active and, if the sting sites become infected, can turn into scar

Scar

Scars are areas of fibrous biological tissue that replace normal skin after injury. A scar results from the biologic process of wound repair in the skin and other biological tissue of the body....
s. Additionally, some people are allergic to the venom and, as with many allergies, may experience anaphylaxis

Anaphylaxis

Anaphylaxis is an acute Circulatory system and very severe Type I hypersensitivity allergy reaction in humans and other mammals. The term comes from the Greek words a?a ana and f??a??? phylaxis ....
, which requires emergency treatment. An antihistamine

Antihistamine

An H1 antagonist is a histamine antagonist of the histamine H1 receptor that serves to reduce or eliminate effects mediated by histamine, an endogenous chemical mediator released during allergy....
or topical corticosteroid

Corticosteroid

Corticosteroids are a class of steroid hormones that are produced in the adrenal cortex. Corticosteroids are involved in a wide range of physiology systems such as stress , immune system and regulation of inflammation, carbohydrate metabolism, protein catabolism, blood electrolyte levels, and behavior....
s may help reduce the itching.

First aid for fire ant bites includes external treatments and oral medicines.

External treatments: a topical steroid cream (hydrocortisone), or one containing aloe vera
Aloe vera

Aloe vera, also known as the Medicinal Aloe, is a species of succulent plant that probably originated in northern Africa. The species does not have any naturally occurring populations, although closely related Aloes do occur in northern Africa....
.
Oral medicines: antihistamines.

Patients who experience severe or life threatening allergic reactions to fire ant insect stings should visit a doctor or hospital immediately upon contact as these reactions can result in death. These more severe reactions include severe chest pain, nausea, severe sweating, loss of breath, serious swelling, or slurred speech.

Other names

In Spanish

Spanish language

Spanish or Castilian is a Romance languages that originated in northern Spain, and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile and evolved into the principal language of government and trade....
, fire ants are known as hormiga colorada/roja (red ant) or hormiga brava (fierce ant). In Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a Autonomy Territories of the United States of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands....
there is a native, very small and slow-moving kind of fire ant called abayarde. In Portuguese

Portuguese language

Portuguese is a Romance language that originated in what is now Galicia and Portugal. It is derived from the Latin language spoken by the Romanization Pre-Roman peoples of the Iberian Peninsula around 2000 years ago....
, they are called formiga de fogo (fire ant) and formiga lava-pé (wash foot ant).

Natural predators

Phorid flies. Phoridae are a family of small, hump-backed flies resembling fruit flies. The genus Pseudacteon, or ant-decapitating fly, of which 110 species have been documented, is a parasitoid of the ant in South America. Members of Pseudacteon reproduce by laying eggs in the thorax of the ant. The first instar larvae migrates to the head. The larvae develop by feeding on the hemolymph, muscle tissue, and nervous tissue in the head. After about two weeks, they cause the ant's head to fall off by releasing an enzyme that dissolves the membrane attaching the ant's head to its body. The fly pupates in the detached head capsule, requiring a further two weeks before emerging. The phorid flies have been widely introduced throughout the U. S. Southeast, starting with Travis, Brazos, and Dallas counties in Texas, as well as Mobile, Alabama, where the ants first entered North America.

Species

This species list is incomplete.

Solenopsis abdita Thompson, 1989
Solenopsis africana Santschi, 1914
Solenopsis albidula Emery, 1906
Solenopsis alecto Santschi, 1934
Solenopsis altinodis Forel, 1912
Solenopsis amblychila Wheeler, 1915
Solenopsis andina Santschi, 1923
Solenopsis angulata Emery, 1894
Solenopsis atlantis Santschi, 1934
Solenopsis aurea Wheeler, 1906
Solenopsis avia (Bernard, 1978)
Solenopsis azteca Forel, 1893
Solenopsis balachowskyi Bernard, 1959
Solenopsis banyulensis Bernard, 1950
Solenopsis basalis Forel, 1896
Solenopsis belisarius Forel, 1907
Solenopsis blanda (Foerster, 1891)
Solenopsis brasiliana Santschi, 1925
Solenopsis brazoensis (Buckley, 1867)
Solenopsis brevicornis Emery, 1888
Solenopsis brevipes Emery, 1906
Solenopsis bruchiella Emery, 1922
Solenopsis bruesi Creighton, 1930
Solenopsis bucki Kempf, 1973
Solenopsis canariensis Forel, 1893
Solenopsis capensis Mayr, 1866
Solenopsis carolinensis Forel, 1901
Solenopsis castor Forel, 1893
Solenopsis celata (Dlussky & Zabelin, 1985)
Solenopsis clarki Crawley, 1922
Solenopsis clytemnestra Emery, 1896
Solenopsis conjurata Wheeler, 1925
Solenopsis cooperi Donisthorpe, 1947
Solenopsis corticalis Forel, 1881
Solenopsis crivellarii Menozzi, 1936
Solenopsis daguerrei
Solenopsis daguerrei

Solenopsis daguerrei is a species of parasite ants native to Argentina and Uruguay . The young queens of the species invade the nests of other species, such as the red imported fire ant ....
(Santschi, 1930)
Solenopsis dalli (Kusnezov, 1969)
Solenopsis decipiens Emery, 1906
Solenopsis delta (Bernard, 1978)
Solenopsis deserticola Ruzsky, 1905
Solenopsis duboscqui Bernard, 1950
Solenopsis dysderces Snelling, 1975
Solenopsis egregia (Kusnezov, 1953)
Solenopsis electra Forel, 1914
Solenopsis emeryi Santschi, 1934
Solenopsis eximia (Kusnezov, 1953)
Solenopsis fairchildi Wheeler, 1926
Solenopsis foersteri Theobald, 1937
Solenopsis franki Forel, 1908
Solenopsis froggatti Forel, 1913
Solenopsis fugax
Solenopsis fugax

Solenopsis fugax is a myrmicinae ant of the genus Solenopsis.It is the only member of its genus to be native to the British Isles, and although rare, it has been taken by Horace Donisthorpe in a number of localities on England's Southern coast, including Sandownand Shanklin on the Isle of Wight, and also in the south westerly region...
(Latreille, 1798)
Solenopsis fusciventris Clark, 1934
Solenopsis gallardoi Santschi, 1925
Solenopsis gallica Santschi, 1934
Solenopsis gayi (Spinola, 1851)
Solenopsis geminata (Fabricius, 1804)
Solenopsis georgica Menozzi, 1942
Solenopsis germaini Emery, 1895
Solenopsis globularia (Smith, 1858)
Solenopsis gnomula Emery, 1915
Solenopsis goeldii Forel, 1912
Solenopsis granivora Kusnezov, 1957
Solenopsis hammari Mayr, 1903
Solenopsis hayemi Forel, 1908
Solenopsis helena Emery, 1895
Solenopsis hostilis (Borgmeier, 1959)
Solenopsis iheringi Forel, 1908
Solenopsis ilinei Santschi, 1936
Solenopsis indagatrix Wheeler, 1928
Solenopsis insculpta Clark, 1938
Solenopsis insinuans Santschi, 1933
Solenopsis insularis (Bernard, 1978)
Solenopsis interrupta Santschi, 1916
Solenopsis jacoti Wheeler, 1923
Solenopsis jalalabadica Pisarski, 1970
Solenopsis japonica Wheeler, 1928
Solenopsis joergenseni Santschi, 1919
Solenopsis juliae (Arakelian, 1991)
Solenopsis kabylica Santschi, 1934
Solenopsis knuti Pisarski, 1967
Solenopsis krockowi Wheeler, 1908
Solenopsis laeviceps Mayr, 1870
Solenopsis laevithorax Bernard, 1950
Solenopsis latastei Emery, 1895
Solenopsis latro Forel, 1894
Solenopsis leptanilloides Santschi, 1925
Solenopsis longiceps Forel, 1907
Solenopsis loretana Santschi, 1936
Solenopsis lotophaga Santschi, 1911
Solenopsis lou Forel, 1902
Solenopsis lusitanica Emery, 1915
Solenopsis macdonaghi Santschi, 1916
Solenopsis macrops Santschi, 1917
Solenopsis madara Roger, 1863
Solenopsis major Theobald, 1937
Solenopsis maligna Santschi, 1910
Solenopsis mameti Donisthorpe, 1946

Solenopsis marxi Forel, 1915

Solenopsis maxillosa Emery, 1900

Solenopsis maxima (Foerster, 1891)

Solenopsis megera Santschi, 1934

Solenopsis megergates Trager, 1991

Solenopsis metanotalis Emery, 1896

Solenopsis metatarsalis (Kusnezov, 1957)

Solenopsis mikeyroxis

Solenopsis minutissima Emery, 1906

Solenopsis moesta (Foerster, 1891)

Solenopsis molesta
Solenopsis molesta

Solenopsis molesta, also known as thief ants, get their names because they often raid other ants? nests for food and to steal eggs. They are also called grease ants because they are attracted to grease....
(Say, 1836)

Solenopsis monticola Bernard, 1950

Solenopsis mozabensis (Bernard, 1977)

Solenopsis nicaeensis Bernard, 1950

Solenopsis nickersoni Thompson, 1982

Solenopsis nigella Emery, 1888

Solenopsis nitens Bingham, 1903

Solenopsis nitidum (Dlussky & Radchenko, 1994)

Solenopsis normandi Santschi, 1934

Solenopsis novemmaculata Wheeler, 1925

Solenopsis occipitalis Santschi, 1911

Solenopsis oculata Santschi, 1925

Solenopsis oraniensis Forel, 1894

Solenopsis orbula Emery, 1875

Solenopsis orbuloides Andre, 1890

Solenopsis overbecki Viehmeyer, 1916

Solenopsis pachycera (Forel, 1915)

Solenopsis papuana Emery, 1900

Solenopsis parabiotica Weber, 1943

Solenopsis parva Mayr, 1868

Solenopsis patagonica Emery, 1906

Solenopsis pawaensis Mann, 1919

Solenopsis pergandei Forel, 1901

Solenopsis photophila Santschi, 1923

Solenopsis picea Emery, 1896

Solenopsis picquarti Forel, 1899

Solenopsis picta Emery, 1895

Solenopsis pilosa (Bernard, 1978)

Solenopsis pilosula Wheeler, 1908

Solenopsis pollux Forel, 1893

Solenopsis privata (Foerster, 1891)

Solenopsis provincialis Bernard, 1950

Solenopsis punctaticeps Mayr, 1865

Solenopsis puncticeps MacKay & Vinson, 1989

Solenopsis pusillignis Trager, 1991

Solenopsis pygmaea Forel, 1901

Solenopsis pythia Santschi, 1934

Solenopsis quinquecuspis Forel, 1913

Solenopsis reichenspergeri Santschi, 1923

Solenopsis richardi Bernard, 1950

Solenopsis richteri Forel, 1909

Solenopsis robusta Bernard, 1950

Solenopsis rugiceps Mayr, 1870

Solenopsis rugosa Bernard, 1950

Solenopsis sabeana (Buckley, 1867)

Solenopsis saevissima (Smith, 1855)

Solenopsis salina Wheeler, 1908

Solenopsis santschii Forel, 1905

Solenopsis schilleri Santschi, 1923

Solenopsis schmalzi Forel, 1901

Solenopsis scipio Santschi, 1911

Solenopsis sea (Kusnezov, 1953)

Solenopsis seychellensis Forel, 1909

Solenopsis silvestrii Emery, 1906

Solenopsis solenopsidis
Solenopsis solenopsidis

Solenopsis solenopsidis is a species of ant in the insect family Formicidae. It is Endemism to Argentina....
(Kusnezov, 1953)

Solenopsis soochowensis Wheeler, 1921

Solenopsis spei Forel, 1912

Solenopsis stricta Emery, 1896

Solenopsis substituta Santschi, 1925

Solenopsis subterranea MacKay & Vinson, 1989

Solenopsis subtilis Emery, 1896

Solenopsis succinea Emery, 1890

Solenopsis sulfurea (Roger, 1862)

Solenopsis superba (Foerster, 1891)

Solenopsis targuia Bernard, 1953

Solenopsis tennesseensis Smith, 1951

Solenopsis tenuis Mayr, 1878

Solenopsis terricola Menozzi, 1931

Solenopsis tertialis Ettershank, 1966

Solenopsis tetracantha Emery, 1906

Solenopsis texana Emery, 1895

Solenopsis tipuna Forel, 1912

Solenopsis tonsa Thompson, 1989

Solenopsis tridens Forel, 1911

Solenopsis trihasta Santschi, 1923

Solenopsis truncorum Forel, 1901

Solenopsis ugandensis Santschi, 1933

Solenopsis valida (Foerster, 1891)

Solenopsis virulens (Smith, 1858)

Solenopsis vorax Santschi, 1934

Solenopsis wagneri Santschi, 1916

Solenopsis wasmannii Emery, 1894

Solenopsis weiseri Forel, 1914

Solenopsis westwoodi Forel, 1894

Solenopsis weyrauchi Trager, 1991

Solenopsis wolfi Emery, 1915

Solenopsis xyloni McCook, 1879

Solenopsis zambesiae Arnold, 1926

Solenopsis zeteki Wheeler, 1942

Fire ant

Appearance

Behaviour

Roles

Queens

Males

Workers

Introduced species

Symptoms and first aid

Other names

Natural predators

Species

External links