Kylie Vankoevering 20

Do you know anything about the Red Imported Fire Ants? No! Well soon they are going to become your living night mare. You may want to move to a colder place, because these ants love warm areas. In the United States these vicious ants go as west as California and as North as Maryland and Kansas. Every sting from the Red Imported Fire Ants can be like murder. One good thing is you can tell them apart from other ants, because they are red.

The Red Imported Fire Ants is found naturally in South America. The climate is just the way they like it, nice and warm. These ants, like many other ants can live anywhere, they can live in cities, and country side, even the sea side, because their can make there homes pretty much out of anything; the sidewalk, a dire mound, and lots of other places. Luckily the Red Imported Fire Ants can get destroyed by a few animals, and they can eat plant, and weak, small animal, such as saplings, and seedlings. The ants can damage 57 species of agricultural plants (wow, that’s a lot). It is eaten, or affected by: Protozcan disease, (Thelohania solenopsae) Phorid flies, (Pseudaceton spp) and an ant called workerless social parasite (solenopsa’s dogerei). In its natural habitat it helps break down wood that makes the soil rich.

The scientific name for Red Imported Fire Ants is Solenopoi’s invicla. Its appearance is a relish color, and is about the size of a quarter. If disturbed the red imported fire ant will attack, and if not properly taken care the bites could become infected, which will lead to scaring, and if one is allergic, they could go in a coma, but will not likely die.

Red Imported Fire Ants were first introduced into the United States. At least in the warmer states. They were introduced into the United States by the ballast in cargo ships (which can be filled with water or soil to weigh the boat down when it has no cargo, so it will not tip over.)


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In its natural habitat, The Red Imported Fire Ants had a role, and a role that worked perfectly. But then with one minor mistake they found a new home, and, they loved it, but the old neighbors didn’t like the ants, and they couldn’t do anything about it. A few ways the fire ants causes harm is:

1. They kill agricultural tree’s, by eating the bark, all around the tree, so water from the roots can’t get to the top of the tree.

2. They may kill newly hatched animals, such as birds, because they are weak.

3. They are attracted to electricity, so they may bite through wires, and then things like lights can go off, which can lead to problems.

There is only one way to kill the Red Imported Fire Ants, and that is to kill the Queen ant, or ants, because then they can not make any more ants, and will eventually die off. These are the way they are killing them off:

1. Spraying the mounds, and hoping it gets to the Queen.

2. Giving bait to the worker, by putting poison in food; but if there is a rain all the poison will go away from the food.

3. The three animals that affect the ants that I wrote about before.
Invasive species are found all over the world. In their natural habitat they cause no harm, but as invasive species they can cause harm by hurting other animals, or plants. An Imported Fire Ant is an invasive species that is causing harm in the United States. U.S. Department of Food and Agriculture are trying to control this problem by killing the queen. Hopefully they will be successful.
Bibliography
Question #1
Library/ant/red-imported-fire-ant.aspx
Internet
Question #2
The Red Imported Fire Ant
Marching Across the South
Book
Question #3
Red Imported Fire Ants
Internet
Fire Ants
Tamra B.Orr
Book
Question #4
Invasive Species: Animals-Red Imported Fire Ants
Internet
Fire Ants
Tamra b. Orr
Book
Question #5
The Red Imported Fire Ant
Marching Across the South
Book
Hht://www.deh.enr, srae inc. uslphpulimages/pubs/
Question#6
The Red Imported Fire Ant
Marching Across the South
Book