why are fire ants important?
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Beneficial Effects of Fire Ants. Collectively, ants are beneficial insects in our environment. Their nest-building activities reduce soil compaction and help aerate the soil. Many ant species, such as imported fire ants, are omnivorous (they eat just about anything).
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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.
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Fire ants bite. When they bite, they hold on and inject venom. The bite itself may be unnoticed at first because it is overshadowed by the pain of the sting. But, not only are these bites painful, they can be dangerous to people who have allergic symptoms.
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While fire ants tend to be a red-brown color, carpenter ants are generally black, brown or a mix of orange and black. While carpenter ants will bite or sting if threatened, with less need for treatment, fire ants are known by their aggressive behavior and painful stings when their nests are disturbed.
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Red imported fire ants go to flower beds looking for food. Their feeding can harm delicate plants, and red ants may protect insect pests, such as aphids that secrete honeydew, a sweet substance ants like to eat. ... Their nesting may also damage plants, lawns and electrical fixtures.
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Ants That Bite and Sting A fire ant sting is supposed to burn like fire. A unique characteristic of these ants is that they not only bite the skin, but they also sting the perceived threat multiple times. Their stings usually produce a cluster of swollen red spots that develop a blister on the top.
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Known to eat meats, greasy and sweet materials. Fire ants are omnivores, meaning they will feed on animal or vegetable sources of food. The fire ant worker's diet includes insects, earthworms, ticks, spiders, arthropod eggs, honeydew and other sweets.
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It plays a key role in shaping ecosystems by serving as an agent of renewal and change. But fire can be deadly, destroying homes, wildlife habitat and timber, and polluting the air with emissions harmful to human health. Fire also releases carbon dioxide—a key greenhouse gas—into the atmosphere.
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Are army ants dangerous to humans? Not normally. A human can normally walk away quickly enough to prevent any problems. The ants rely on slow moving or injured animals they can swarm over quickly before stinging it and then tearing it apart.
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With babies, they won't know to not make contact, making them quite dangerous to them especially. There have been cases where the sting from one of these ants has caused anaphylactic shock, which can be quite serious.
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Ants also give some hints about the positive and negative incidents that are about to happen in your life. As per Jyotish Shastra, ants are linked to good luck and wealth.
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Anteaters, which are not native to the United States, could eat fire ants in areas where both species occur. However, like armadillos, they would be of little use in controlling fire ants.
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Vicky Young answered on 14 Mar 2012: Because evolution designed them this way. Ants live in large colones so being small suits them as this means there is enough food in one area for lots of ants. Their size will also help them avoid predators as they are so tiny.
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Red and black imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta, and S. richteri) are native to South America. They were accidentally introduced into the U.S. around the 1930's through the port of Mobile, Alabama; probably in soil used for ships' ballasts and have been spreading since.
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Upstate New York is home to several ant species that often establish infestations within homes. ... European fire ants, much like Allegheny mound ants, are typically lawn pests only, as both of these species build large unsightly mounds in residential yards.
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Most ants are attracted to fruit trees because of honeydew-producing insect infestations; they protect these pests from predators and indirectly hurt trees, but a few species may feed on overripe fruits or damage young trees directly.
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The ants have been increasing their numbers ever since they were first spotted in the commonwealth. ... In Virginia, fire ants have only been found in urban areas and are not currently an issue for the agricultural industry. In other states, however, RIFAs pose a threat to both crops and livestock.