Fire Ants
"Solenopsis invicta - fire ant worker" — Photo by Insects Unlocked / Wikimedia Commons / CC0
Small insects with a seriously hot temper.
These tiny, reddish-brown invaders are infamous for their aggressive defensive behavior and painful stings. Known for building large, conspicuous mounds, they act as a highly organized collective that can survive everything from floods to freezing temperatures.
Did you know?
When their mounds are flooded, these ants will lock their bodies together to create a waterproof, floating raft, keeping their queen safe and dry until they find land.
“If you disturb my home then I’ll get super aggressive with my mates”
“I can build a buoyant, living raft out of my own kin...if I wanted to”
“I was first spotted in Queensland in 2001...so I am not from there, I came from afar”
“I am 2 to 6mm big (actually, small)”
“In 2020, the Australian Government declared that I was a 'higher risk species'”