Red Imported Fire Ant — printable fact sheet

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Red Imported Fire Ant

Solenopsis invicta

The Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta) is a highly aggressive, stinging ant native to South America but now widespread in the southern United States and other parts of the world due to accidental introduction. These ants are notorious for their painful stings, which can …

Classification

Invertebrate

Family

Formicidae

Habitat

Grasslands, open fields, urban areas

Diet

Omnivore

Conservation status

Least Concern

Lifespan

1-6 years (queens), several weeks to months (workers)

Weight

0.5–5 mg

Scientific name

Solenopsis invicta

Did you know?

A single Red Imported Fire Ant colony can contain up to 250,000 worker ants and multiple queens, making them extremely difficult to eradicate.
Red Imported Fire Ants can form living rafts during floods to protect their colony. Their colonies can have either a single queen (monogyne) or multiple queens (polygyne), affecting their population dynamics. Fire ants use pheromones to coordinate attacks and defend their nests.

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