Red Imported Fire Ants, with their aggressive nature and painful stings, are beginning to infest California. Already, these tiny but destructive creatures have been found in a number of Southern California and Central Valley counties and are expected to spread even further unless everyone pitches in to help eradicate the pest.
Red Imported Fire Ants are called "imported" because they are not native to this country. It is believed that they came to the United States from South America aboard cargo ships that docked in Mobile, Alabama, in the 1930s. Today, fire ants infest more than 300 million acres in twelve states across the southern United States, as well as Puerto Rico. Most recently, they are infesting California and New Mexico.
What do Red Imported Fire Ants look like?
Red Imported Fire Ant. (Photo/University of California Cooperative Extension)
They are very small, ranging from approximately one-sixteenth of an inch to one-fourth of an inch, and are reddish-brown in color.
They are different from most ants commonly found in California, but can't be distinguished from other ants just by looking at them.
Where do Red Imported Fire Ants live?
