Anyone who has been stung by one or more of these aggressive insects knows why they are called fire ants. They 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. Identifying fire ants is difficult because they look much like ordinary ants. They are probably best distinguished by their aggressive behavior and characteristic mound-shaped nests.