Services Menu

• Termite Control
• Home Pest Control
• Eco Friendly Pest Control
• Integrated Pest Control
• Commercial Pest Control
• Other Services

Related Pages

• Preparation
• Products We Use
• Making Payments
• Customer Service
• Setup Service Today
  
  
• Our Web Blog
• Pest Database

Contact Us

Phone: (407) 914-7169
email: sales@xtermpest.com

6120 Edgewater Dr
Suite D
Orlando FL, 32810

Request a Call Back

Name

Phone

Services
Pest Control Eco-Friendly IPM Ant Control Flea Control Rodent Control ----------------------------- Termite Control Termite Pre-Treats WDO Inspections ----------------------------- Commercial Services IPM Services

Submit

Fire Ant

Latin Name:

Solenopsis

Appearance:

Reddish, about 1/4-inch long.

Habit:

Nest in mounds of 1 to 2 feet in diameter and about 1/2-foot high. Large colonies can have up to 250,000 workers. Very active and aggressive, they will sting any intruding animal repeatedly. Will invade flowerbeds, potted plants, and homes to seek moisture and nutrients.

Diet:

Omnivorous. Known to eat meats, greasy and sweet materials.

Reproduction:

Total time from egg to adult averages 30 days; workers live up to 180 days; queens live two to six years.

Other:

Have been known to remove rubber insulation from telephone wires; sting is painful and can kill young wildlife.

Origins:

Although the red imported fire ant is native to South America, it is best known in the United States, Australia, Taiwan, Philippines, and the southern Chinese province of Guangdong. In January 2005, several ant-hills belonging to fire ants were found in northern Hong Kong. Later, after a thorough search for the ant was conducted there, several hundred ant-hills were found in different parts of Hong Kong. There were also reports of ant-hills in Macau, the former Portuguese enclave that borders the province of Guangdong. They have been recently been introduced in the Philippines in July 2005 when a cargo plane coming from Texas via California arrived in Manila. Colonies were accidentally introduced into the United States in the 1930s through the seaport of Mobile, Alabama. Cargo ships from Brazil docking at Mobile unloaded goods infested with the ants; they have since spread from Alabama to the coastal plain and piedmont of almost all of the southeastern states, as well as into California. The ants were accidentally introduced into Australia in 2001, in a similar way.

Aggressive Behavior:

fire Ants are more aggressive than most native ant species and have a painful sting. A person typically encounters them by inadvertently stepping into one of their mounds, which causes the ants to swarm up the person's legs, attacking en masse. The ants respond to pheromones that are released by the first ant to attack. The ants then swarm and immediately sting when any movement is sensed.
Although their stings are rarely life-threatening to humans and other large animals, they can kill smaller animals such as birds. They sometimes kill newborn calves if the calves do not get on their feet quickly enough. The sting of the fire Ants has venom composed of a necrotizing alkaloid which causes both pain and the formation of white pustules which appear one day after the sting.

Survival:

Red imported fire ants are extremely resilient and have adaptations to contend with both flooding and drought conditions. If the ants sense increased water levels in their nests, they will come together and form a huge ball or raft that is able to float on the water, with the workers on the outside and the queen inside. Once the ball hits a tree or other stationary object, the ants swarm onto it and wait for the water levels to recede. To contend with drought conditions, their nest structure includes a network of underground foraging tunnels and tunnels that extend down to the water table. Also, despite the fact that they do not hibernate during the winter, colonies can survive cold conditions as low as 16°F (-9°C).

Reality on Bites:

Contrary to what most people believe, a fire ant does not just “bite.” They use their jaws to anchor themselves and then, like a bee or wasp, inject venom using a sting at the tip of their abdomen. Using their strong mandibles to attach themselves to the victim’s flesh, they can sting many times continuously. They are extremely aggressive and have the ability to deliver venom in unison.