The Dreaded Fire Ant

The Dreaded Fire Ant

No Florida nature journal would be complete without mentioning the dreaded fire ant. Officially known as the Red Imported Fire Ant or RIFA, it belongs to the genus Solenopsis, of which there are over 280 species, worldwide.

Fire Ant Mound

Their mounds are easily recognized as domed or irregular deposits of course sand with multiple small holes throughout the surface. Mounds can grow as big as a large suitcase, but more common they are the size of briefcase.  It is impossible to walk through a grassy area or scrub in southern Florida without encountering numerous mounds.

The fire ant is less than a ¼ inch in length and a reddish brown color. But don’t let its size fool you. These little buggers can inflict a painful and irritating sting, resulting in a small white pustule which takes a week or more to heal!  If you happen to be allergic to their poison, a more severe reaction could result. The stings are rarely deadly to humans, but insects, small birds and mammals can easily be overwhelmed. A newborn calf, if lying on a mound, can also be killed.

When a mound is disturbed, thousands of individuals immediately go on the attack, swarming out, searching for the invader.   The alarm is spread in the colony in less then a second through pheromones. Multiple stings are common. 

Mound Calm -Warriors on Guard

Unsuspecting Hiker Intruding

One Second Later-Full Attack Mode

 I was once fishing on the bank of a lake, just after dusk, and hooked onto a nice size bass. As luck would have it, I had also stepped onto a fire ant mound. Swarming ants crawled up my leg and on signal, they began stinging. Cursing and not wanted to let go of the bass, I backed away and used my left hand to brush them off, while playing the fish with my right hand. Later I counted over 20 stings.

Ammonia, if applied soon enough will alleviate some of the sting. (If you’re not near home, urine will work too.) But the best remedy is caution. Use gloves when gardening. When hiking, or otherwise off pavement, wear shoes and socks. And carefully watch where you tread.

In the summer, when high water inundates a mound, the colony forms itself into a floating spherical mass, protecting the queen in the middle. When the ball touches solid land, the ants rebuild their mound. A ranger told me of a canoe trip he took, where the canoe bumped into a floating red ant ball. The ants swarmed over the entire canoe, forcing the ranger to abandon ship!