Red imported fire ants: A growing threat in Florida, Texas and beyond

Today we're diving deep into a pest that's causing more than just minor irritation across the United States: the red imported fire ant. While these critters are tiny, they’re posing a big problem in the southern part of the United States, particularly in Florida and Texas. It's important to note that invasive alien species like the red imported fire ant are one of the five major direct drivers of biodiversity loss globally, making their spread a critical issue that extends beyond local concerns. We'll explore the biology, environmental impact and control methods related to these invasive ants.

To bring you up to speed, red imported fire ants have expanded their territory in recent years and have now become a significant concern for both residents and agriculturalists. From their painful stings to their damaging agricultural impact, these ants are far from harmless. Most concerning is their rate of spread, fueled by the queen fire ant, a prolific egg-layer.

The basics of red imported fire ants

The red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta Buren) is native to South America but has established itself robustly in the United States. Interestingly, two species of imported fire ants were unintentionally brought into the United States nearly a century ago. The black imported fire ant (​​Solenopsis richteri) arrived around 1918, and the red fire ant made its way here in the late 1930s. Both species were likely introduced via soil used as ballast in cargo ships that landed in the port of Mobile, Alabama.

These ants are reddish-brown and are infamous for their painful, burning stings. Their resilience and adaptability are mainly due to their reproductive powerhouse: the red imported fire ant queen. She can lay thousands of eggs, making it incredibly challenging to control their populations.

It's essential to be able to distinguish red imported fire ants from native fire ants (Solenopsis geminata). Mounds of Solenopsis geminata will contain workers with square-shaped heads that are larger in proportion to the rest of their bodies. These fire ants generally keep to themselves. On the other hand, workers of the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) do not have disproportionate head-to-body ratios and are aggressive. 

Red imported fire ants are also invasive, often displacing native species and creating problems in the ecosystems they invade. They are infamous for their rapid and aggressive responses when disturbed. With powerful jaws, they latch onto their victims and administer painful, burning stings repeatedly while injecting venom. These stings result in itching blisters that can become infected, and although rare, can cause severe allergic reactions or even death. 

In addition, their nests are hard, mound-shaped structures primarily made of soil. These mounds can become quite large—up to 18 inches in diameter—and pose risks to humans, field workers and farm equipment. If a mound is disturbed, the ants emerge to bite and sting the intruder. 

Red imported fire ants in Florida and Texas: A pervasive problem

• The agricultural toll of red imported fire ants

Red imported fire ants present a formidable challenge to the agricultural industry, particularly with their pronounced infestation in soybean fields. These invasions lead to a noticeable reduction in crop yields, with the red imported fire ant queen continually producing workers to sustain this widespread damage. The problems don't stop at the crops themselves. Their characteristic hard, mound-shaped nests become obstacles in the fields, disrupting the operation of farm machinery.

Combines, crucial for efficient harvesting, can face mechanical issues due to these nests, resulting in further harvest losses.

But the reach of red imported fire ants goes beyond soybeans. Their adaptable feeding habits make them a threat to a diverse range of crops, from staples like corn and potatoes to valuable produce like citrus and peanuts. This broad-spectrum threat to agriculture equates to substantial economic setbacks. 

• Financial impact

The economic toll is significant. According to two articles published by the United States Department of Agriculture, one specific to Florida and one specific to North Carolina, millions of dollars are lost annually, both in terms of crop yield and the cost of fire ant control measures. The issue clearly extends beyond the borders of Florida or Texas. Their impact is not just felt by farmers but also translated into higher food prices and increased control costs for state and federal agencies.

• Urban encroachment

In urban settings, red imported fire ants create additional challenges. They often build their nests in inconvenient and hazardous locations, like under patios, along the edges of sidewalks and even under driveways. When the rainy season arrives, these ants can migrate indoors to escape saturated soil, leading to indoor infestations. In some cases, their nests can weaken the structure of concrete slabs, causing them to crack or collapse.

• The role of the queen

After mating, the fire ant queen sheds her wings and seeks a suitable spot to establish a new colony. She starts laying eggs, nourishing the first set from her own reserves. These initial workers, known as "minims," are smaller due to limited resources. They embark on tasks like expanding the colony and sourcing food. As the colony grows, different sizes of workers emerge to perform various tasks. By six months, the colony comprises several thousand workers, and their sizable mound becomes visible in fields or lawns. Central to the colony's growth is the queen, who produces thousands of eggs daily, facilitating mature colonies to consist of tens of thousands of workers.

• A threat to native fauna

Beyond their agricultural destruction, red imported fire ants deeply disrupt native fauna. They pose a severe threat to ground-nesting animals, particularly birds and rodents. In some areas, they've eradicated these species entirely, destabilizing the core of local ecosystems. This shift presents an economic challenge and elevates the fire ant problem to an ecological crisis, emphasizing the urgent need for effective control measures.

• Effect on livestock

The menace of red imported fire ants is keenly felt in the livestock and poultry sectors in Florida and Texas. These aggressive ants often launch coordinated attacks on newborns, such as calves, lambs, and ground-nesting chicks, delivering multiple painful stings that can lead to distress, injuries, or death.

As a result, livestock are left with painful pustules that can become infected, necessitating veterinary intervention. Beyond the direct loss of livestock, farmers bear additional costs from medical care and preventive measures. Livestock often change their grazing habits to avoid ant-infested areas, leading to uneven pasture utilization. 

• Demanding immediate and targeted action

The extensive damage wrought by fire ants on agriculture, native fauna, and urban landscapes underscores the severity of their invasion. They aren't merely a painful inconvenience but represent a looming threat to our food security, ecological balance and overall quality of life in affected regions. Effective measures to control or eradicate them are more than just a desire; they're an urgent necessity. Communities, agricultural stakeholders, and environmental agencies must collaboratively prioritize and address this issue, ensuring the protection of our farms, wildlife, and habitats.

Chemical vs. natural control methods

Red imported fire ants invade a wide range of areas from lawns and parks to electrical equipment and even bodies of water, necessitating different strategies for control. There are mainly two approaches for managing fire ant populations: treating individual mounds or treating large areas, known as broadcast treatments.

Individual mound treatments

Advantages: Targeted approach, minimizing harm to native ants and various effective methods available (bulleted below) for immediate results.
Disadvantages: Time-consuming to locate each mound; reinfestation can occur if not all mounds are addressed. 

Methods include:

• Mound drenches: Pouring liquid insecticides over the mound.
• Surface dusts: Sprinkling Dust to Dust, our non-toxic insect powder, on the mound and watering it in. Dust to Dust, featuring super fine silica particles and cutting-edge essential oil nanotechnology, kills, repels and prevents ants. 
• Mound injections: Injecting pressurized insecticides into the mound, more effective but costlier.
• Baits: Slow-acting but effective, as the bait is taken back to the queen.
• Home remedies: Boiling water or flammable liquids; effective but risky and environmentally harmful.

Broadcast treatments 

Advantages: Effective for treating large areas with widespread ant activity and requires less precision and effort compared to individual mound treatments.
Disadvantages: Baits may be ignored by ants or lose potency over time and potential to affect non-target ant species or other insects. 

Methods include:

• Granular insecticides: Spread over a wide area for uniform coverage.
• Baits: Dispersed across the area, allowing worker ants to carry the bait back to the colony.

Conclusion 

Red imported fire ants pose a growing threat in areas like Florida and Texas. They're more than just an itchy problem; their impact is felt in homes, farmlands and natural ecosystems. Understanding the biology of these ants, particularly the role of the red imported fire ant queen, can significantly help in controlling their spread.

Dr. Killigan is committed to helping you find safe, effective ways to rid your life of pests like the red imported fire ant. Armed with the right knowledge and tools, we can make strides in controlling this invasive species. The spread of red imported fire ants demands our collective attention. Only with informed decisions and concerted efforts can we hope to reclaim our lands from this invasive species. Stay vigilant, stay informed and together, we can work towards a pest-free environment.