

The ants thrive in urban areas, so their presence may deter outdoor activities. The ant is viewed as a notorious pest, causing billions of dollars in damage annually and impacting wildlife. Whole body extract immunotherapy is used to treat victims and is regarded as highly effective. Treatment depends on the symptoms those who only experience pain and pustule formation require no medical attention, but those who suffer from anaphylaxis are given epinephrines. More than 80 deaths have been recorded from red imported fire ant attacks. Common symptoms include dizziness, chest pain, nausea, severe sweating, low blood pressure, loss of breath, and slurred speech.


However 0.6% to 6.0% of people may suffer from anaphylaxis, which can be fatal if left untreated. Most victims experience intense burning and swelling, followed by the formation of sterile pustules, which may remain for several days. More than 14 million people are stung by them in the United States annually, where many are expected to develop allergies to the venom. About 95% of the venom consists of water-insoluble piperidine alkaloids known as solenopsins, with the rest comprising a mixture of toxic proteins that can be particularly potent in sensitive humans. Venom plays an important role in the ant's life, as it is used to capture prey or for defence. Two forms of society in the red imported fire ant exist: polygynous colonies (nests with multiple queens) and monogynous colonies (nests with one queen). Workers can live for several months, while queens can live for years colony numbers can vary from 100,000 to 250,000 individuals. Colony founding can be done by a single queen or a group of queens, which later contest for dominance once the first workers emerge. Nuptial flight occurs during the warm seasons, and the alates may mate for as long as 30 minutes. The ant is a host to parasites and to a number of pathogens, nematodes, and viruses, which have been viewed as potential biological control agents. Predators include arachnids, birds, and many insects including other ants, dragonflies, earwigs, and beetles. They are omnivores and eat dead mammals, arthropods, insects, seeds, and sweet substances such as honeydew from hemipteran insects with which they have developed relationships.
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Workers communicate by a series of semiochemicals and pheromones, which are used for recruitment, foraging, and defence. Foraging takes place on warm or hot days, although they may remain outside at night. They also show necrophoric behaviour, where nestmates discard scraps or dead ants on refuse piles outside the nest. These ants exhibit a wide variety of behaviours, such as building rafts when they sense that water levels are rising. Colonies form large mounds constructed from soil with no visible entrances because foraging tunnels are built and workers emerge far away from the nest. They can be found in rain forests, disturbed areas, deserts, grasslands, alongside roads and buildings, and in electrical equipment. Red imported fire ants are dominant in altered areas and live in a wide variety of habitats. The ant's colours are red and somewhat yellowish with a brown or black gaster, but males are completely black. The red imported fire ant is polymorphic, as workers appear in different shapes and sizes. Though South American in origin, the red imported fire ant has been accidentally introduced in Australia, New Zealand, several Asian and Caribbean countries, and the United States. However, the variant and species were the same ant, and the name was preserved due to its wide use. Its current specific name invicta was given to the ant in 1972 as a separate species. A member of the genus Solenopsis in the subfamily Myrmicinae, it was described by Swiss entomologist Felix Santschi as a variant of S. The red imported fire ant ( Solenopsis invicta), also known as the fire ant or RIFA, is a species of ant native to South America. Solenopsis saevissima wagneri Santschi, 1916.
