Fire ants are a huge problem across the Southeast, where over 40% of the population is stung every year.
Fire ants have been in the news recently for much less positive reasons.
Fire ant venom is produced in the poison gland, stored in a venom sac, and delivered through the sting, which is derived from the ovipositor of non-social Hymenoptera (Callahan et al.
4 million plan to rid Australia of red imported
fire ants.
melanocephalum was significantly suppressed by
fire ant invasion.
Fire ant stings are dangerous to humans and animals.
However, the total biomass of a mature
fire ant colony (4-6 y old) is 70% made up of larger workers (Tschinkel, 1988), suggesting that having these workers or, in general, caste diversity benefits the colony (Retana and Cerda, 1994; Fjerdinsgtad and Crozier, 2006; Gravish et al.
Treating ants of another species with formic acid saved their lives after exposure to
fire ant venom.
1998) were performed to determine
fire ant species by using genetic markers.
Fire ants are omnivores that will feed on almost any plant or animal material.
Fire ants have a burning sting that comes from their venom.
Likewise, nitrogen in
fire ant mounds may originate in their feces, which are primarily composed of uric acid (Chen, 2006).
