What is a fire ant?

Fire ants are so called because their venom, injected by a stinger like a wasp's, creates a burning sensation. They are also active and aggressive, swarming over anyone or anything that disturbs their nest, be it wild animals, domestic animals, pets or people. An encounter with a fire ant nest can leave a lasting memory of burning pain, followed by tiny, itching pustules.

Because of this, and occasional stories of animals or people killed by multiple stings, people fear fire ants. In some areas infested with certain species of fire ants, playgrounds, parks, and picnic areas lie abandoned, unused because of the presence of fire ants. In campsites of state and national parks in fire ant infested areas, it is often difficult to put up or take down a tent without being stung by angry fire ants.

Fire ants are pests in other ways besides their stinging. They damage crops such as soybeans, eggplant, corn, okra, strawberries, and potatoes by feeding directly on the plants or by protecting other insects that damage the crops. They chew the bark and growing tips of citrus trees and feed on the fruit. Fire ant mounds interfere with farming and mowing operations and turn recreational fields into disfigured moonscapes. Fire ants have caused sections of roads to collapse by removing soil from under the asphalt.

Increasingly, fire ants have been found nesting in wall voids, around plumbing, and under carpeting in structures. The ants have also been found invading outdoor electrical equipment, apparently attracted to the electrical fields. Infested sites include household electric meters, traffic signal control boxes, and even airport runway lights.

Fire ants are voracious predators and sometimes feed on pests such as boll weevils, sugarcane borer, ticks, and cockroaches. The imported fire ant is thought to have dramatically reduced the range of the lone star tick, a serious livestock pest.

If you have Fire Ants  – Call A1 Super Heroes at

(954) 255-2233 immediately to speak to one of our professionals.

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