Red Imported Fire Ant

Open areas like lawns, pastures, and roadsides; often forms floating rafts on water during floods.

Omnivorous; they eat plant matter, seeds, and animal matter including insects and small vertebrates.

Aggressive and eusocial; they build large mounds and are known for their ability to link bodies to form floating rafts to survive flooding.

Risks include painful stings that can cause allergic reactions in humans; they are an invasive species that disrupts local ecosystems but can occasionally control other pests.