ANTS, BEES, AND WASPS

Fire Ant, Solenopsis geminata

Order: Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, and Wasps)

Size: Up to 1⁄4"

Habitat: Woodlands and open spaces, usually sunny areas near a water source

Range: Throughout the United States, mostly in southern latitudes

Fire Ants are known for the painful sting they can inflict, which produces a burning sensation. They are highly social, and a colony includes queens, mating males, soldiers, and workers. The most prevalent caste is the workers, who collect all kinds of plant material and insects. They are fairly small, with typical ant features such as a bulbous head and abdomen, thin legs, elbowed antennae, and a thin waist area (pedicel) with two segments. They are colored bronze to reddish brown, with a darker abdomen that ends in a stinger. Soldiers also possess enlarged pincers for defense. Fire Ants form large colonies on the ground, under logs or rocks, or in a self-created dirt mound. The worker ant is illustrated.