Fire Ant

insects · stinging · ants · survival

Painful sting. Fire ants have a sting that feels hot and burning on your skin, which is why people call them fire ants. The sting comes from venom they inject when they bite you.

Huge ant family. Fire ants are actually over 200 different species all in a group called Solenopsis. They share similar reddish or orange coloring and their stinging power.

Named by color. People sometimes mix up fire ants with other red ants because they look similar, but true fire ants belong to the Solenopsis family. Other ants like Myrmica rubra also get called red ants even though they are different species.

Built-in weapons. Most fire ants have stinging abilities as their main defense, so their names all reflect this dangerous skill. Whether ginger ants or tropical fire ants, they are all known for their ability to sting.