Fire ants, like these
red imported fire ants (
Solenopsis invicta), are more aggressive than most
native ant species and have a painful
sting that is rarely life-threatening to humans and other large animals, but can kill smaller animals such as birds. Fire ants cannot be killed by
flooding. If the ants sense a change in
water levels in their
nests, they will come together and form a huge ball that is able to float on the water and protects the queen in its center.
Photo credit: Scott Bauer