fire ant


Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Financial, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
Related to fire ant: Red imported fire ant

fire ant

n.
Any of various ants of the genus Solenopsis that build large mounds and can inflict a painful sting, especially S. invicta, native to South America and naturalized in the southern United States.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

fire ant

n
(Animals) any mound-building predatory ant of the genus Solenopsis, of tropical and subtropical America, that can inflict a painful sting
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

fire′ ant`


n.
any of several omnivorous ants having a burning sting.
[1790–1800]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.fire ant - omnivorous ant of tropical and subtropical America that can inflict a painful stingfire ant - omnivorous ant of tropical and subtropical America that can inflict a painful sting
ant, emmet, pismire - social insect living in organized colonies; characteristically the males and fertile queen have wings during breeding season; wingless sterile females are the workers
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations

fire ant

n hormiga de fuego, tipo de hormiga cuya picadura es muy dolorosa
English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
References in periodicals archive ?
The stinging and invasive red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), has been reported from the Coachella Valley (Riverside County) of California, USA, since 1998 and has continued to spread throughout the region (Jetter et al.
The red imported fire ant (RIFA Solenopsis inwcta) is an aggressive invasive species worldwide (Gotelli and Amett, 2000).
This is the sixth case of red fire ants in Korea, quarantine officials found 25 fire ants in a storage container at Busan's Gamman Port, last September Over 80,000 cases of fire ant bites have been reported each year just within the United States and around 100 of them result in deaths.
The national TV advertising has boosted sales and distribution of Sting-Kill, Fire-Out for relief from fire ant stings and Dormin for sleep.
From a survival perspective, the conservation of these insects ensures that the fire ant population will not die out.
Jim Creagan, president of Randob Labs Ltd., which supplies Sting-Kill insect bite treatment and Fire-Out for relief from fire ant stings, says people will always be looking for fast, effective medicines to treat their health issues, including stings.
Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has imposed a quarantine, mainly in southeastern states, to help limit the fire ant's spread.
A total of six known infestations of Lasius neglectus, which has garnered the nickname "fire ant" because of claims it is attracted to electric cables and sockets, have been found since it was first discovered at a National Trust property in 2009.
Besides their professional mosquito control spray, the pest extermination team now offers mosquito misting systems, fire ant control and rodent control.
In particular, an investigation of the association between thermal tolerance, body size, and microhabitat use in fire ant colonies is needed.