Red Imported Fire Ants

1
Red Imported Fire Ants
By Hollis Benton, Ashlyn Haskins, Shane White,
and Kenton Bounds
2
What are red imported fire ants?

• Scientific Name Solenopsis
  invicta
• Kingdom Animalia
• Phylum Arthropoda
• Class Insecta
• Order Hymnoptera
• Family Formicidae
• Genus Solenopsis

3
How did the red imported fire ants enter
Mississippi?
Red imported fire ants traveled to North America
from South America by the way of boat. They were
first discovered in Mobile, Alabama around 1918.
They have multiplied and are now found in a
multitude of areas in the United States.
4
(No Transcript)
5
What do the red imported fire ants look like?

• Size 2.4 mm to 6mm
• Color Shiny red head, abdomen slightly darker.
• Description Two antennas, separated into two
  segments, stinger is on the abdomen, their legs
  come out of their thorax.

6
TA DA the ANT.
7
Where do red imported fire ants live?

• They mainly live in the southern region of the
  United States. The ants can usually be found in
  bright sunny areas. Red Imported Fire Ants are
  also drawn to electrical impulses. So it is
  common to find them by electrical boxes.

8
The areas of the United States that are infested
with fire ants.
9
What do the red imported fire ants live in?

• The mounds they live in can vary from 10 to 24
  inches in diameter and can be 6 to 18 inches
  tall, the mounds can also go 6 feet under ground.

10
The Mound
11
What do fire ants threaten?

• Destroy Crops
• Kill Animals of any size
• Kill Flowers in Pots
• Electricity Outages
• Even Kill Me and You

A pig being attacked by the RIFAs.
A serious reaction to red imported fire ants.
12
A yard destroyed by fire ants.
Electrical unit filled with fire ants.
13

• Dr. Eward Vargo An Entomologist who studies fire
  ants said
• Basically, anything that stands still for longer
  than 15 or 20 seconds is fire ant food.

14
How do the fire ants attack?
Fire ants are very sensitive to movement and they
normally attack when their prey moves. Once one
ant stings this triggers for the other ants to
sting in response. Also when an ant attacks, it
attaches to the skin with its mandibles and bends
its abdomen driving the stinger into the intruder
in a circular pattern.
15
(No Transcript)
16
First Aid for Fire Ant Stings

• Step 1 Cleanse the area with soap and water to
  prevent infection.
• Step 2 Watch the area for swelling, itching,
  redness, and other symptoms. If the person begins
  to feel these symptoms give them Benadryl and
  take them to the hospital immediately.
• Step 3 If the person has a known allergy to
  RIFAs retrieve their epi- pen immediately if
  available.

17
How can you protect your family and yourself from
the red imported fire ants?

• Keep an eye on the environment that surrounds
  your environment.
• Wear protective clothing.
• Make sure that no food is left around your home
  under any circumstances.
• Call Pest Control or another company and allow
  them to spray once a month.

18
What should you do if you are plagued with red
imported fire ants?

• Bait the area with poison so that the colony will
  take it back to the queen once she is dead the
  ant mound should be gone within a few days.
• Call Pest Control if the problem gets out of
  control.

19
(No Transcript)
20
How is a red imported fire ant infestation
treated?

• DO NOT DISTURB THE ANT BED
• First sprinkle the ant poison on to the beds near
  your home. Wait a few days and see if the ants
  are still there. If the problem still continues
  then you should call pest control.

21
Fun Fact Pictures
22
The ants swarming onto a rock.
Close up picture of fire ants.
23
Thats All Folks