Today, “killer ants,” dangerous to humans, exist, but there are not very many. As they say, fear has big eyes. Frightening tales of fire ants have acquired the status of legends from the person who likes to spoil his nerves, lying on the couch.
There is still some truth in these stories. Dangerous ants are really present in our world, but they have a completely different name. Biologists in their scientific language began to call them "fire ants" for their ability to inflict a painful burning bite.
Some facts from the story
Initially, these dangerous insects occupied Brazil, it is considered their homeland. In 1900, when cattle trade began to improve, dangerous interventionists settled in the United States. This "live" cargo with harmful insects was on merchant ships, which by sea delivered it to a new habitat.
Fire ants immediately began to multiply in countless numbers. There were no natural enemies here, the climate was quite suitable to feel comfortable - it was a great success for harmful insects, it was a sin not to use it. Ants moved further to California, occupying more and more territories.
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 southern part of America, on the islands of the Caribbean. The habitat of fire ants became the lands of Australia, Malaysia, the Philippines, China.
Fire creatures inflicted merciless bites to farmers, wild and domestic animals. They besieged agricultural land and buildings, destroyed grain stocks. They built their anthills on the tracks where the mowers should go. All this undermined the image of the capitalist countries.
Red Fire Ant: Description
Who are they like these little "monsters" look like? Appearance resembles an ordinary ant, the difference between them is only in color. The fire ants, whose photos are in front of you, have a reddish color, hence their name came from. They also owe their name to the ability to burn during a bite.
These are small insects. The length of the body depends on the external living conditions and is 2–6 mm. The body is divided into three main parts: head, chest, abdomen. The head and chest are lighter than the abdomen. Like other members of this family, the red fiery aggressors have six strong legs.
Ants are classified
as insects with a complete transformation. Their development consists of four stages:
1. The eggs.
2. The larva.
3. Pupa.
4. Adult insect.
The larva resembles a helpless creature similar to a worm. She cannot independently move and eat. It is served by working individuals until the larva, having gone through several stages of molting, gains the necessary mass to turn into a chrysalis.
On the last day before the transformation occurs, the larva stops eating and releases the intestines. Workers take care of the chrysalis, and help them leave the cocoon at the right time.
The lifestyle of the most dangerous insects
Ants are considered insects that can cause considerable surprise. You can start with the fact that these creatures that do not have a developed brain, when protecting the family and obtaining food, act quite clearly and in an organized manner. They are also surprised at 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 for the output of sterile workers. For the life of 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 addiction eat the sprouts of grass plants, shoots of small shrubs. The diet includes different types of insects, larvae, caterpillars. Fire creeps often attack even mice, frogs and snakes, do not disregard the corpses of large animals.
During an attack on a victim, ants climb a large group of legs on her body. They dig into the skin with the oral apparatus and inject the sting. So a considerable dose of poison, which is toxic, enters the body of an animal. At the site of the bite, the skin begins to burn strongly, there are intolerable painful sensations.
Fire Ant Family Structure
The ant family is an organized community. It consists of:
1. Brood.
2. Adults.
3. Infertile females (workers).
The ant family can consist of several dozen individuals, but sometimes grows into real colonies, consisting of millions of individuals living in large territories. Large families are mostly wingless barren females from which the castes of workers, soldiers and various other groups are formed.
In almost every family there are males and one, sometimes several reproductive females, which have a very beautiful name - the queen, the queen. Fire ants work as a whole, so the family is called a super - organism. Such parallels with the society of people as the division of labor, self-organization in difficult situations and relationships between family members have long attracted the attention of scientists.
Source of fire ants
Ants live with their families in nests that represent 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 ant hill .
Tunnels are laid between the nests of fire ants, through which they freely move in different directions. In search of food, they can wander for a long time, often during such trips, meetings with representatives of another colony occur. During such unwanted encounters, belligerent goose bumps are set between goose bumps.
Stopping at a halt, where the fire ants anthill 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 creature.
Danger posed by a fire ant
These tiny goosebumps are capable of destroying fauna, causing great damage to birds and livestock, they kill weaker ants. We can say that all living things are horrified by these insects and flee from them.
People dislike miniature "monsters" for their ability to destroy all food stocks. In urban apartments, ants equip their nest in electrical appliances, which leads to the closure of 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 that they possess. Statistics confirm that the bites of fire ants end 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 a bite of a "monster"
At the first suspicion of a bite of dangerous insects, you should quickly move away from the place where the source of fire ants is located. This should be done carefully so as not to cause unrest in the "family". Usually, watchdogs begin to bite first.
Shaking insects will not work, which means that you need to carefully remove from clothing and body parts. They cannot be crushed, because crushed ants emit a smell, according to which other members of the family receive a signal of danger and immediately begin a new attack.
After this, the affected area of the skin should be freed from clothing in order to reduce swelling. Rinse this place, then place a cold compress on it. Be sure to take an antihistamine. Then seek help from a medical facility. Procrastination can be expensive because poison is a powerful allergen that often causes pulmonary edema.
Ways to combat the "fire monsters"
In the United States, billions of dollars are spent annually to fight the fiery little "terrorists," but there are still no tangible results. In this country, fire ants were given the name - imported insects. To combat them, pesticides are used, spraying them with helicopters. Manually trying to eliminate the source of fire ants, digging and destroying nests, pouring boiling water into them. But the results of all these actions are zero.
As people say, each "villain" has its own right, including the little biting aggressors. The most effective and unusual way to destroy these insects was the fly, which kills fire ants. Meet - this brave warrior is called a humpback fly.
It lays eggs in a living insect, of which a larva develops later, which, using a special enzyme, gnaws an ant's head. This head serves the fly as a living incubator.
Fire ant in Russia
In Russia, tropical "barbarians" are very rare. The harsh climatic conditions of the country are not suitable for them. But in one Moscow hospital, fire ants were once discovered. Basically, although these insects are found, these are small colonies that settle next to people in warm dwellings.
Red and
red ants live in Russia
. Although they are called fiery, they are not as aggressive as their tropical counterparts. These insects nests - anthills equip in coniferous and deciduous forests. Goosebumps of this species destroy harmful insects, which is considered important for humans.