Fire ants have 4 characteristics that together set them apart from other ants you might find:
- they are 2–6 mm long
- they are found in a variety of sizes within one nest
- they are dark reddish-brown in colour
- they have darker brown-black abdomens
- they are aggressive - hundreds of ants will come out of a nest if disturbed, trying to sting over and over.
With magnification, you can see that their waist section has two segments.
Various sizes of fire ants.
Fire ants attacking an insect.
Fire ants eating crops.
Fire ant workers and alates.
Image showing colour and size of fire ant. Image courtesy of Peter Green.