Discover

Today
Animals
Explore
Archive
Search

Use it

Classroom
Resources
Field lab
Quiz
Saved

Trust

Methodology
Sources
Corrections
Accessibility
Contributors

Details

About
Contact
Privacy
Terms
Newsletter

Animal profile

Red Imported Fire Ant

Solenopsis invicta

InsectaOpen disturbed ground, pasture, roadsides and lawns, building conspicuous soil mounds

Field profile

The red imported fire ant is a small aggressive ant notorious as an invasive species. Colonies may have one queen or many, and mounds can hold hundreds of thousands of workers. Its sting produces a characteristic sterile pustule.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2025-09-19

Red Imported Fire Ant

Fire ants survive floods by building living rafts

When water rises, a colony links workers into a buoyant raft that carries the queen and brood on top. The mass behaves like a viscoelastic material and can stay afloat for days or weeks.

Read with evidence →

Red Imported Fire Ant | Daily Animal Facts