Fire Ant Anatomy
Introduced to the United States in the 1930's, the red imported fire ant is now common throughout the South, as well as in parts of California and the Southeastern seaboard.
Fire ant anatomy is similar to that of most ant species. Fire ants are red and black in coloration and, like all ants, they are protected by a hard exoskeleton and have six legs. Worker ants have round heads with mandibles, an armored thorax mid-section, called the mesosoma and an abdomen, called the gaster. The head is typically copper brown in color. , In addition to their mandibles, fire ant workers and warriors also contain an abdominal stinger.
After securing themselves to their prey with their mandibles, red fire ants use their stinger to inject the victim with alkaloid venom. This results in a burning sensation combined with red welts and pustules. Some victims experience an allergic reaction and there are a few deaths each year as a result of fire ant stings.
When the population of a single mound becomes large, the queen will produce winged male and female reproductive ants. These ants leave the colony in a massive mating flight. After females are fertilized, they land and shed their wings. The males die after mating.
Fire Ant Identification: What Does a Fire Ant Look Like
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