My Home:  I am found burrowing in the ground, under structures, around fireplaces and in the foundations of homes.  There are many species of fire ants, commonly found throughout the southern part of the United States. 

What I eat:  My menu includes; plants, nectar, seeds, other insects and meat from dead animals. 

What I look like:  I can come in several sizes.  Worker ants can be 1/16 to 1/3 of an inch in size.  Winged and queen ants are slightly larger. My body is reddish brown and my abdomen is black. 

 How I am born: I have four stages of development: egg, larva, pupa and adult. The queen lays her eggs in the nest and the worker ants care for them.  The queen can lay up to 800 eggs a day.  It takes 30 to 35 days for my egg to develop into an adult.  The queen ant can live for up to seven years.  A worker ant lives an average of five weeks.  

Fun Facts:  They usually swarm in late spring or early summer. The population of one ant colony averages 100,000 to 500,000 ants.  They will sting and bite an intruder and should not be picked up.