Tropical fire ant

[Solenopsis geminata (Fabricius), family Formicidae] is a major citrus pest. These pugnacious ants inflict painful stings to orchard workers who step unsuspecting on their mounds (colonies) made up of loose soil on the orchard floor.  Devastating to young citrus, fire ants feed undetected beneath the freeze protectant tree wraps, and girdle the trunks and introduce Phytophthora parasitica (foot rot fungus). Fire ants also attend aphids, mealybugs, and whiteflies for their 'honeydew' and kill or drive off beneficial insects and mites — thus, interfering with biological control.

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This site is maintained by Dr. Laurence Sistrunk, Dept. of Hort. Sci., Texas A&M University