The USDA estimates that fire ants cause over $5 billion of damage annually in the United States.

• The red fire ant was first introduced to the United States in the 1930's
• Since then, it has rapidly spread across the southern part of the country and now infests over 309 million acres in 14 states

Fire ant life cycle:

• Fire ant workers live anywhere from 30 to 60 days
• A queen can live from 2 to 6 years
• A fire ants life cycle from egg to adult is 22 to 38 days
• A fire ant colony propagates during mating flights
• A mating flight may contain up to 4,500 male and female reproductives
• Mating flights can occur anytime, but are most common in the spring and fall
• A new queen will lay one dozen eggs. Once a colony is established, a queen will lay up to 800 eggs per day
• A monogyne colony (with one queen) builds 40 to 150 mounds per acre, while a polygyne colony (multiple queens) builds 200 to 800 mounds per acre
• If left untreated, a colony can contain 500,000 or more workers and several hundred alates

To identify the red imported fire ant, look for these distinguishing characteristics:

• Red body color with a black abdomen
• A two-node pedicel
• A hairy abdomen with a stinger at the tip
• A 10-segmented antenna ending in a two-segmented club
• A mandible with four distinct teeth
• A fire ant queen will approximately measure 1/2 inch in length and have a dark reddish-brown color

To identify a fire ant mound look for:

• A mound of earth that is 1-2 feet on diameter and 4 to 18 inches high
• No openings on the surface of the mound: ants leave through underground tunnels