Fire Ants

About Fire Ants

Fire ants are aggressive stinging ants known for their reddish-brown color and painful venom. Originally from South America, they have spread throughout the southern United States, including parts of Orange County. Fire ants build distinctive dome-shaped mounds in lawns, gardens, and along sidewalks. When their nests are disturbed, hundreds of workers swarm out and deliver painful, burning stings that can cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. Their colonies can contain up to 500,000 workers, making professional treatment essential for safe and effective removal.

How to Identify Fire Ants

• Reddish-brown to dark brown, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch long
• Build visible dome-shaped mounds in soil, often in sunny areas
• Extremely aggressive when their nest is disturbed
• Possess a visible stinger at the abdomen tip

Lifecycle

Fire ant queens can lay up to 1,500 eggs per day and live for several years. Eggs develop through larval and pupal stages over 30 days before emerging as adults. Mature colonies produce winged males and females that swarm during warm months to mate and establish new colonies. A single colony can grow to half a million individuals.

Health & Property Risks

• Painful venomous stings that cause pustules lasting days or weeks
• Severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) in sensitive individuals
• Damage to electrical equipment, HVAC units, and wiring
• Harm to pets, livestock, and ground-nesting wildlife