Fire ant queens. Even if only one queen survives, within a month or so, the colony can expand to thousands of individuals. Some colonies may be polygynous (having multiple queens per nest). Fire ants are resilient and can survive floods. During Hurricane Harvey in Texas in 2017, clumps of fire ants, known as rafts, were seen clumped together on the surface of the water. Each clump had as many as 100,000 individual ants, which formed a temporary structure until finding a new permanent home. Fire ant queens, the reproductive females in their colony, also are generally the largest. Their primary function is
Electric ant venomous sting that can subdue large insects and vertebrate prey. Little fire ants establish colonies under rocks and plant litter. These ants are also considered a residential pest as they establish colonies in furniture, food, and clothing in people's homes. Colony movement can be amplified after a heavy rainstorm. The little fire ant has been unintentionally transported from its native range to Africa, North America, Puerto Rico, Israel, Cuba, and multiple Pacific Island groups. Invading ants cannot survive in global regions that have cold environments. But, little fire ants are found in Canada and England where they find refuge in