Introduction
Red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta), invasive to North America, are aggressive and cause painful stings. They are red to black and range from 1/8” to ¼” in length and normally have a deep red thorax and solid black abdomen. They can lead to disruptions in agriculture, especially if a young person, animal, valuable cash crop, or allergic person is attacked or infested. Fire ants can girdle young trees, damage young plants, and feed on seed crops.
Origin & Spread
Originally from South America, fire ants have unintentionally spread throughout the southeastern United States. They hitchhike on equipment and nursery plant materials. Therefore, integrated pest management is crucial to keep numbers low. Click photo to see the current USDA quarantine for imported fire ants.
Nests
Fire ants build nests in row crops, gardens, lawns, nurseries, pastures, and prefer sunny locations generally around trees, stumps, rotting logs, or under buildings. Mounds look like loose, grainy soil loosely piled up in a small hill sometimes up to 24’ high.
Management
Fire ants should be managed using integrated pest management in growing operations. It is important to identify the ant hill and morphology of the ant to be sure before treatment.
Resources
- “Managing Imported Fire Ants in Urban Areas.” University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, n.d., https://fieldreport.caes.uga.edu/publications/B1191/managing-imported-fire-ants-in-urban-areas
- “Managing Fire Ants with Baits.” East, William, and Katelyn Kesheimer. Alabama Cooperative Extension System, 11 June 2020, https://www.aces.edu/blog/topics/crop-production/managing-fire-ants-with-bait
- “Imported Fire Ants.” Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 24 Feb. 2026, https://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant-pests-diseases/ifa
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