Biting, Stinging, Red Imported Fire Ants Are Closing in on the DC Area. Story by Andrew Beaujon ... or farm equipment without contacting the commonwealth’s Office of Plant Industry Services.

Why fire ants are such a big deal. Red imported fire ants may be ... they are responsible for an estimated $6 billion in losses each year due to reduced crop yields and damage to farm equipment.

While red imported fire ants don't eat agricultural produce, "they sting people and animals, they threaten wildlife. They can damage electrical equipment, and also can displace other native ants ...

Red imported fire ants are an invasive ant species originally from South America. These aggressive ants have been spreading across the southern United States for years and are now found in at ...

While red imported fire ants don’t eat agricultural produce, “they sting people and animals, they threaten wildlife. They can damage electrical equipment, and also can displace other native ...

Researchers thought colder temperatures and higher elevations could stop the march of invasive fire ants. Mother Nature had ...

The Red Imported Fire Ant (which is mainly causing the infestation) originally came to the U.S. from South America back in 1930s on cargo imported at ports in Mobile, Alabama.

Red imported fire ants arrived in the U.S. about 20 years after the black species. For the most part, they do much better than black fire ants in the same habitats.

All of the current quarantine areas are shown in red on the map below. Imported fire ant quarantine areas as of May 27. (Photo: Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services) ...

The black imported fire ant can be found in the northwestern part of the state, while the red imported fire ant resides in the south and east-central part of Alabama. What we know about the fire ...

Scientists know them as Solenopsis invicta Buren and Solenopsis richteri Forel, but you can call them Red Imported Fire Ants. And they’re getting close to the DC area . Late last month, the Virginia ...