History
Most ant stinging problems in North America are due to the two species of imported fire ants in the southern United States: Solenopsis invicta (Fig. 1) and S. richteri (Fig. 2) . The black imported fire ant, S. richteri, was introduced from South America into the United States at Mobile, Al, in the early 1900s, followed by the introduction of the red imported fire ant (RIFA), S. invicta, at the same port in the 1930s in the soil used as ballast or dunnage in ships carrying agricultural goods. Since that time, few other stinging insects have created more controversy, generated more research, or received more publicity than the RIFA. The two ants now inhabit a major portion of 12 southern states, with S. invicta occupying 95% of the infested areas; S. richteri occurs only in parts of Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee.
At first the RIFA was of little concern. However, by the 1950s, it became obvious that the ant was rapidly expanding its range accompanied with an increase in RIFA density and a decrease in the density of other ants in the areas where it occurred. William Buren described the RIFA with the specific epithet name invicta meaning invincible because of its resilient nature and the belief that it would be difficult to manage. The ant has proven to be appropriately named.
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Figure 1 |
Figure 2 |