Red Imported Fire Ant

Open areas such as lawns, pastures, and roadsides where they build dome-shaped mounds of soil.

Omnivorous; they eat plant seeds, fruits, honeydew, and other insects or small vertebrates.

Aggressive defenders of their colonies; they swarm and sting in mass when the mound is disturbed. They are highly social and organized into castes (workers, queens, and drones).

Risks include painful stings that can cause allergic reactions in humans and pets. They are an invasive species that disrupts local ecosystems. Benefits include aeration of soil and predation of certain agricultural pests like boll weevils.