### animal | arthropod | insect | ant:

Fire ant
* Apply in cool weather or in early morning or late afternoon.
* Most fire ants are deep below ground during the hottest part of a summer day
  - feed on plants
  - invade lawns
* Some fire ants eat crickets
  - mole crickets
* Some fire ants have devastate impact
  - poison sacs
  - live for decades
  - take places
* act as both pests and beneficials in crop systems.
* appear to be contributing to the success of ragweed in old field plant assemblages.
* are a constant problem
  - continuing community health threat in South Carolina
  - growing health hazard
  - nuisance, but there are some strategies for controlling the tiny beast
  - serious threat, since they enter caves and feed on cave-dwelling animals
  - significant health threat due to their stings
* are aggressive ants that readily bite and sting
  - to people and pets and cause painful stings that are easily infected
  - aggressive, unpredictable, and bite and sting severely
* are also a deterrent to growth of plants in the forage alleys
  - aggressive hunters and foragers
  - dangerous, especially to small children and pets
  - extremely attracted to soybean oil and use it as a food source for ants in the colony
  - from South America
  - general predators and are of great value where bollworms are concerned
  - known to prey on ticks and boll weevils
  - more than an economic problem, however
  - no friend to agriculture
  - omnivorous, but their primary diet consists of insects and other invertebrates
  - one of the most studied species of insects in the world and with good reason
  - only able to ingest liquids
  - originally from South America, where dozens of fire ant species exist
  - part of the landscape
  - particularly fond of greasy-oily foods
  - prolific, pesky and extremely adaptable
  - reddish brown stinging insects related to bees and wasps
  - reddish-brown in color
  - sensitive to vibration
  - small reddish-brown ants with very large mounds
  - smaller than most people imagine
  - social insects consisting of a queen, workers, eggs and larvae
* are social insects, and a colony consists of a queen, workers, eggs and larva
  - each colony contains one or more queen ants
  - the smallest ants that make it to the second level
  - tiny and reddish-brown and live in nests under the ground
  - toxic to the fish
  - unaffected by winter weather
* are very aggressive
  - typical of ants in general
* attack and sometimes kill newborn domestic animals as well as pets and wildlife
  - humans when their ant mounds are disturbed
  - in groups when disturbed
  - with no warning when their nests are disturbed or when the object they're on moves
* build large mounds and come to the defense of a disturbed mound by the thousands.
* build their nests in the lawn or sometimes in debris on the flat roofs of buildings
  - on school grounds
* can also destroy seedling corn, soybeans, and other crops
  - discourage tourism and recreational activities
* can be a problem where young children and pets want to play
  - nuisance pests
  - form balls on the water and float to new locations after a flood
  - gain access to home interiors through a variety of entryways
  - inflict hundreds of painful stings to children
  - interfere with outdoor activities and harm wildlife
  - rapidly re-invade the treated area from adjacent nontreated areas
  - reduce the productivity of grazing land
  - spread very quickly
* carry soil into structures they nest in.
* cause one to two deaths a year in Florida
  - problems with almonds, table grapes and citrus
* chew up crops, too.
* collect certain seeds while foraging.
* consume many types of food.
* disperse naturally through mating flights and mass migrations of colony members.
* feed on honeydew, sugars, proteins, oils, seeds, plants and insects
  - many things, including insects, oil from seeds, meats, grease and honeydew
  - seeds and young plants
* feed on the oil and ingest the toxicant
  - twigs and bark of young trees, sometimes girdling the trees
* have a definite impact on the environment
  - unique venom, which is an oily alkaloid mixed with a little protein
  - an amazing defense system against stomach poisoning
* infest the eastern two-thirds of Texas.
* interfere with hay harvesting and maintenance of pastures and recreational turf areas.
* invade Australia
  - compost piles and mulched flower beds seeking warmth and moisture
  - lawns and gardens, causing damage and unsightly mounds
* is an ant
  - the name of several species of ants that inflict painful, burning stings
* kill livestock and have also been known to kill humans.
* like to nest in open, sunny yards that are mowed and watered regularly.
* live in anthills that go deep into the ground
  - colonies in nests in the soil
  - underground tunnels
* love it and are a real problem in growing and harvesting okra
  - to nest in home lawns, parks and ornamental turfgrass areas
* mate all at one time.
* migrate after a rainfall, and so do the nematodes.
* move a pupa.
* open the nest, begin to forage for food, rear more workers, and care for the queens.
* pack a powerful sting that can raise a painful red rash on people and animals.
* parlay their queens into a threat to biodiversity.
* pose a serious threat to people and pets.
* prefer oily and greasy foods.
* recognize each other as individuals through odor.
* tend to be on the move in warmer weather.
* thrive in disturbed habitats, including construction sites.
+ Fire ant, A new home: Ants
  * In the United States, fire ants have no natural predators or competitors. Native animals are not adapted to these ants. Fire ants are very aggressive. Their colonies can have many queens unlike many other ant species. Because of this, fire ants have spread very fast. By 1965, fire ant  came up on the south eastern coast and as far west as Texas. University of Minnesota. There is a separate group of fire ants living in California
  - Jaws of damage
  * Fire ants attack in groups when disturbed. People often get many bites. Fire ant bites are usually not dangerous. Some people are allergic to fire ants. They may go into shock. This is called anaphylaxis