Once ants have established a colony inside or near a building, they may be difficult to control. There are over 12,000 species of ants throughout the world. In some areas, the spread of the fire ant has been slowed by competition from the Argentine ant. They are familiar insects that are easily recognized, especially in their common wingless adult forms, known as workers. However, winged forms of ants, which leave the nest in large numbers in warm weather to mate and establish new colonies, are often mistaken for winged termites, which also leave their nests to mate.
Ants undergo complete metamorphosis, passing through egg, larval, pupal, and adult stages.
Larvae are immobile and wormlike and do not resemble adults. Ants, like many other hymenopterans, are social insects with duties divided among different types, or castes, of adult individuals. Few in number, males are fed and cared for by workers. The workers of the southern fire ant vary in size and have a red head and thorax with a black abdomen. Although they do not eat wood as termites do, they hollow it out to nest and may cause considerable damage.