These pests pose serious threats to people, small animals, and agricultural equipment. This factsheet answers several frequently asked questions. Fire ants clamp onto their targets with powerful jaws and sting their victims repeatedly. Each sting injects a dose of venom that causes a burning sensation. The stings raise itching blisters that can become infected.
Fire ants attack and sometimes kill newborn domestic animals as well as pets and wildlife.
Fire ants can also destroy seedling corn, soybeans, and other crops. These insects feed on buds or fruits of many plants and may remove bands of bark from young citrus trees, often killing them. Additionally, the hard, cone-shaped nests of fire ants can mount as high as 2 feet, making it difficult to cultivate and harvest crops from infested fields. These fire ant mounds are unsightly hazards in yards, parks, and other recreational areas, where they are especially dangerous to children and pets. Since arriving in Mobile, AL, they have spread to 14 States and Commonwealths.