When disturbed, the ants become very aggressive and bite your skin while stinging you with their abdominal stinger. In November of 1998 they were detected in a nursery. Investigation indicates the fire ants have been here and in Orange County for over a year.
Fire ants are from South America.
They entered the U.S. through Mobile, Alabama, probably in soil used for ships' ballast. They were accidentally introduced around the 1930s and have been spreading ever since. Eleven Southern States are now fighting the ant with limited success. Fire ants are sensitive to vibration or movement and tend to sting when the object they are on moves. The ants swarm up a person's leg and when one ant stings that person jerks or moves.