The Imported Fire Ant 

 HOW TO CONTROL IT 



The imported fire ant 1 is an an- 

 noying and destructive pest in most 

 Southeastern States. 



In fields, it feeds on okra, collard, 

 cabbage, egg plant, germinating seed 

 corn, and citrus trees; it often attacks 

 newly hatched birds. In homes, it 

 eats meat, butter, cheese, and nuts; 

 it sometimes gnaws holes through 

 clothing. 



The ant has a painful sting. Its 

 presence in the fields may interfere 

 with the cultivation of crops. It 

 stings by sinking its powerful jaws 

 into the flesh, then driving in its 

 stinger and injecting an irritating 

 fluid into the wound. 



If an infestation occurs, you can 

 control these pests and minimize 

 their annoyance and destruction. 



The imported fire ant is so called 

 to distinguish it from species of fire 

 ants native to this country. The 

 designation fire ant is in reference to 

 the sting of these insects. 



A distinctive characteristic of the 

 imported species is its habit of build- 

 ing huge, hard-crusted mounds to 

 house its colonies. 



Origin and Spread 



The insects slipped into this coun- 

 try unnoticed, probably as cargo 

 stowaways from a South American 

 port. Because they resemble native 

 fire ants, they remained undetected 



1 Solenopsis saeuissima v. richteri. 



for several years. But about 1930 

 entomologists identified them as a 

 separate species. 



Entomologists believe that these 

 ants first infested Mobile, Ala., and 

 then rapidly spread to other parts 

 of the South by flying and crawling, 

 by drifting downstream in logs, by 

 traveling aboard cars, trucks, trains, 

 and airplanes, and by being trans- 

 ported in nursery stock. 



By the spring of 1958. the pest was 

 known to occur in nine Southern 

 States. An early infestation in Shelby 

 County, Tenn., has apparently been 

 eradicated. Generally, the areas of 

 heaviest infestation are in west Flori- 

 da and the southern parts of Alabama, 

 Louisiana, and Mississippi. Isolated 

 infestations have been found as far 

 north as Onslow and Wake Counties, 

 N. C, and as far west as Bexar 

 County, Tex. Other infested States 

 are Arkansas, Georgia, and South 

 Carolina. 



The Damage They Do 



Imported fire ants seriously damage 

 many vegetable crops by feeding on 

 the young, succulent plants. They 

 soften the tender stems just below 

 the soil, then suck the plant juices. 

 In this way they gnaw holes in roots, 

 tubers, stalks, buds, ears, and pods. 



These pests often extend their at- 

 tacks to young, unprotected animals, 

 such as newborn calves and pigs and 

 newly hatched quail and poultry. 



