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The red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta), or simply RIFA, is one of over 280 species in the widespread genus Solenopsis. It is native to South America but it has become both a pest and a health hazard in the southern United States as well as a number of other countries.
The red imported fire ant is a member of the S. saevissima species-group. Members can be distinguished by their two-jointed clubs at the end of the funiculus in workers and queens, and the second and third segments of the funiculus are twice as long and broad in larger workers.
Fire ant queens may live up to seven years and can produce up to 1,600 eggs per day, and colonies will have as many as 250,000 workers. [12] [18] The estimated potential life span is around 5 years and 10 months to 6 years and 9 months. [19] Young, virgin fire ant queens have wings (as do male fire ants), but they often cut them off after mating.
The black imported fire ant was accidentally imported from South America into Alabama in 1918, according to Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service. The red imported fire ant was imported several ...
The red imported fire ants don't have many natural predators in Southern California, except for phorid flies. The key to killing a local colony of red imported fire ants is using a combination of ...
The red fire ant, one of the world’s most invasive species, has been found in Europe for the first time, according to a new study published Monday.
Red imported fire ants. The red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) is an invasive species in Australia originating from South America but imported to Australia, New Zealand, the United States of America and several Asian and Caribbean countries. Fire ants are listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as one of the ...
Red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta, pose "an immediate threat" to California's agricultural economy because they require a quarantine of nursery products, officials said.