Today, "killer ants" that are dangerous to people exist, but there are not a very large number of them. As they say, fear has big eyes. The frightening tales of fire ants have become legends for the man who loves to get on his nerves while lying on the couch.
There is still some truth in these stories. Dangerous ants are indeed present in our world, but they have a completely different name. Biologists in their scientific language began to call them "fire ants" for the ability to inflict a painful burning bite.
Some facts from history
Initially, these dangerous insects occupied Brazil, it is considered their homeland. In 1900, when the cattle trade began to improve, dangerous invaders settled in the United States. This "live" cargo with harmful insects was on merchant ships, which delivered it by sea to a new habitat.
Fire ants immediately began to multiply in countless numbers. There were no natural enemies here, the climate is quite suitable to feel comfortable - this is a great success for harmful insects, notit was wrong to use it. The ants moved further into California, occupying more and more territory.
If by the beginning of the 20th century the most dangerous ants in the world were limited only to the territory of South America, now they are in Mexico, in the South of America, on the islands of the Caribbean. The habitat of fire ants is the lands of Australia, Malaysia, the Philippines, China.
Fiery creatures inflicted merciless bites on farmers, wild and domestic animals. They besieged agricultural land and buildings, destroyed grain reserves. They erected their anthills on the tracks where mowers should pass. All this undermined the image of the capitalist countries.
Red Fire Ant Description
Who are they, what do these little "monsters" look like? Appearance resembles an ordinary ant, the difference between them is only in color. The fire ants, the photos of which are in front of you, have a reddish color, hence their name. They also owe their name to their ability to burn when they bite.
These are small insects. The body length depends on the environmental conditions and is 2–6 mm. The body is divided into three main parts: head, thorax, abdomen. The head and thorax are lighter than the abdomen. Like other members of this family, red fire aggressors have six strong legs.
Ants are classed as insects with full metamorphosis. Their development consists of four stages:
1. Eggs.
2. Larva.
3. Dolly.4. Adult insect.
The larva remindshelpless worm-like creature. She cannot move and feed on her own. It is served by workers until the larva, having gone through several stages of molting, gains the necessary mass to turn into a pupa. On the last day before the transformation occurs, the larva stops eating and frees the intestines. The workers take care of the chrysalis and help it out of the cocoon at the right time.
Lifestyle of the most dangerous insects
Ants are considered insects that can cause considerable surprise. You can start with the fact that these creatures, which do not have a developed brain, act quite clearly and in an organized manner when protecting their families and getting food. They are also surprised by the structure of their community. The most dangerous insects, fire ants, live in an anthill built on their own, and their reproduction takes place there. Reproductive individuals have the ability to reproduce by cloning, mating only to produce sterile workers. Throughout her life, the queen gives numerous offspring (about a quarter of a million ants).
The diet of these ants consists of plant and animal food, they do not distinguish between it and eat both species with pleasure. Basically, insects with predilection eat sprouts of herbaceous plants, shoots of small shrubs. The diet includes different types of insects, larvae, caterpillars. Fire goosebumps often attack even mice, frogs and snakes, do not disregard the corpses of large animals. During the attack on the victim, ants are largein a group they climb up on her body. They dig into the skin with the oral apparatus and sting. This is how a considerable dose of poison, which is toxic, enters the animal's body. At the site of the bite, the skin begins to burn strongly, unbearable pain occurs.
Fire Ant Family Structure
The ant family is an organized community. It contains:
1. Brood.
2. Adults.3. Barren females (workers).
An ant family can consist of several dozen individuals, but sometimes it develops into real colonies, consisting of millions of individuals living in large areas. Large families are mostly wingless sterile females, from which castes of workers, soldiers and various other groups are formed.
Almost in every family there are males and one, sometimes several reproductive females, who have a very beautiful name - queen, queen. Fire ants work as a unit, which is why the family is called a super-organism. Such parallels with human society as the division of labor, self-organization in difficult situations, and bonds between family members have long attracted the attention of scientists.
Source of fire ants
Ants live with their families in nests, which are earthen mounds and are called anthills. Insects build this source in the soil, under a stone or in wood. Some people use small particles of plants to build an anthill.
Tunnels are laid between the nests of fire ants, throughwhich they move freely in different directions. In search of food, they can wander for a long time; meetings with representatives of another colony often occur during such trips. During such unwanted dockings, fights break out between the militant goosebumps.
Stopping at a h alt where a fire ant nest is located is not safe for a person who has allergic reactions. After all, ants have not only a frightening appearance, their attack can lead to irreversible processes in the body of a living being.
The danger posed by the fire ant
These tiny goosebumps can destroy fauna, cause great loss to birds and livestock, they kill weaker ants. It can be said that all living beings are horrified by these insects and flee from them.
People show dislike for miniature "monsters" for their ability to destroy all stocks of food. In urban apartments, ants build their nest in electrical appliances, which leads to a circuit in the latter, and in rare cases - to a fire. Another reason for the great danger of this type of ants to humans lies in the toxic poison they possess. Statistics confirm that fire ant stings result in death for approximately 30-35 people annually. This is due to the fact that the poison has a neurotoxic and necrotic effect and contains the alkaloid solenopsin.
First aid for "monster" bites
At the first suspicion of a bite of dangerous insects, you should quickly move away from the place wherethere is a source of fire ants. This must be done carefully so as not to cause unrest in the "family". Usually sentinels bite first.
Shake off the insects will not work, so you need to carefully remove from clothing and body parts. You can’t crush them, because crushed ants exude a smell, according to which other members of the family receive a signal of danger and immediately begin a new attack. After that, you need to free the affected skin area from clothing in order to reduce swelling. Rinse the area, then place a cold compress on it. Be sure to take an antihistamine. Then seek help from a medical facility. Delay can be costly because the poison is a strong allergen that often causes pulmonary edema.
Ways to deal with "fire monsters"
In the US, billions of dollars are spent annually to fight fiery little "terrorists", but there are still no tangible results. In this country, fire ants have been given a name - imported insects. To combat them, pesticides are used, spraying them with the help of helicopters. They try to manually eliminate the source of fire ants by digging and destroying nests by pouring boiling water into them. But the results of all these actions are zero. As people say, every "villain" has its own right, including the little biting aggressors. The most effective and unusual way to destroy these insects was a fly that kills fire ants. Meet this bravethe female warrior is called the humpback fly.
She lays eggs in a living insect, from which a larva develops, which, using a special enzyme, gnaws through an ant's head. This head serves as a living incubator for the fly.
Fire ant in Russia
Tropical "barbarians" are very rare in Russia. For them, the harsh climatic conditions of the country are not suitable. But in a Moscow hospital, fire ants were once discovered. Basically, although these insects are found, they are small colonies that settle next to people in warm dwellings.
Red and red ants live on the territory of Russia. Although they are called fiery, they are not as aggressive as their tropical counterparts. These insects build their nests - anthills in coniferous and deciduous forests. Goosebumps of this species destroy harmful insects, which is considered important for people.
