Fire+Ants+-+nate

Nathan King Fire Ants Eco Issues


 * GENERAL INFORMATION **

Fire ants are extremely aggressive and territorial. They are red and can grow anywhere between 2mm and 6mm. The ant is composed are broken up into three sections: the head, the thorax, and the abdomen, with three pairs of legs and a pair of antennae. It is an insect and eats other insects and various plants. They are natives to Puerto Rico where they were originally carried over to South America on a South American cargo ship coming to an Alabama port in the 1930's. For Male drones their only duty is to reproduce. They live for about three days after exiting puberty. The majority of the work is done by sterile females known as “workers”. However if a female worker loses her virginity she automatically becomes a queen who can live for up to 6-7 years and produce about 1,500 eggs. The main diet for fire ants is vegetation but they have also been known to attack small animals and also eat other large insects. The fire ant’s stings are also poisonous but only slightly on humans. On humans they cause mild uncomforted and might also swell into bumps and turn red. The red ant originally came from Puerto Rico and the first colonies were carried over to the America’s via Fruit boat. The first cases of Fire ants colonies were in South America and then spread in both directions (up and into North America)They haven’t evolved much from their original species in Puerto Rico and remain very adaptable to almost any environment. However the Fire Aunt lives mostly and very hot and dry environments. When there is no coverage for their colony the Ants tend to build mounds of dirt to construct their lair underneath. When there is coverage (like a fallen log) the ants use it as a sort of “roof” for their colony. The biggest impact fire ants have on the environment is there complete domination over other land dwelling insects(including other ants).Below is a list of the negative affects fire ants have on its enviroments. · Causes harm to many species, including ground-nesting birds, turtles, small mammals, reptiles and invertebrates; · Can displace native ant populations; · Gathers seeds of various plants and buries them, thereby **r**educing the number of those plants and stopping areas they disrupt from regenerating; and · Can invade homes and buildings and threaten humans and pets with its painful and sometimes fatal sting. Its biggest impact on people is the fire ants tendency to destroy crops.
 * DETAILED DESCRIPTION **
 * HABITAT AND DISTRIBUTION**
 * IMPACTS **

The biggest control measures that fire ants face is human interaction. Fire ants are considered pests and the frequent attacks to try to eradicate them serve as a testament to that. Anything from Pouring boiling water in the colony to poisoning their queen has been used to try and dispose of fire ants from the human inhabitant. The fire ant also faces is the phorid fly. The Phorid Fly is the natural enemy of the Fire ant, it is a parasitic insect that circles around its target before it attacks and lays its egg within the fire ant. The egg eventually hatches and eats the ant form the inside and then eventually decapitates the ant and breaks out of the ant. The only problem with this solution is that the Phorid fly is not indigenous to the United States and might turn into an invasive species. media type="youtube" key="UiJgsPUYahs" height="344" width="425" **Works Cited** Schwartz, Meyer. "Fire Ants: the death march." //Journal of Family Practice// (2008): n. pag. Web. 3 Dec. 2009. . "Fire ant Information. Got fire ants?" //Fire Ant Information//. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Dec. 2009. . "Fire Ant Information." //fire ant net//. National Geographic, n.d. Web. 8 Dec. 2009. . "Basic information." //The fire ants guide//. Fire Ants Guide, n.d. Web. 8 Dec. 2009. .
 * CONTROL MEASURES **