Imported fire ants, which are probably even less popular than kudzu, are the insects eating the South. Fire ants are a six-legged kudzu, said Tim Lockley, an entomologist who does fire ant research with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Gulfport. And both of them were brought here, although kudzu was brought here intentionally. While Lockley s comparison of fire ants to kudzu may be amusing, there s nothing funny about the economic impact of imported fire ants.
Fire ants are prolific, pesky and extremely adaptable.
Fire ants are the smartest insect I have ever worked with, said Dr. Lynne Thompson, a professor at the University of Arkansas at Monticello who has studied the economic impact of fire ants. Thompson said besides the obvious costs of fire ants such as pesticides and other control measures, fire ants stings can be fatal to people who go into anaphylactic shock after being stung. The fire ants are also sometimes attracted to nest in electrical motors, wrecking havoc with the functioning of equipment involved in communications, electric distribution, cooling and traffic control. For more expensive electrical equipment, the costs can run even higher. Fire ant control is expensive for row farmers, chicken farmers and other livestock growers.