Fire ants (Solenopsis fugax)

Solenopsis fugax · Solenopsis
Fire ants (Solenopsis fugax). Recorded flying from August through September. Orange-brown head, reddish-brown mesosoma, dark glossy brown gaster. Winged queen with translucent wings folded over a deep, glossy dark gaster contrasting with the lighter mesosoma. Recorded near 3 of the 190 locations Dealate tracks.

When do fire ants fly?

Recorded flying from August through September.

Flight calendar

Jan
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Queen appearance

Orange-brown head, reddish-brown mesosoma, dark glossy brown gaster. Winged queen with translucent wings folded over a deep, glossy dark gaster contrasting with the lighter mesosoma.
quick, secretive movement typical of the cleptobiotic thief-ant lifestyle, foraging inside host ant nests
Founding care
Fully claustral: seal her in a test tube setup, somewhere dark and undisturbed. She raises the first brood on her own wing muscles and needs no food or opening until the first workers appear.
Needs a winter diapause: a cool, dark rest period each year.
Diet: Omnivorous (sugar water, honey, insects, meat, seeds nuts etc.)
Intermediate
Read more on AntWiki →
Care data from antkeeping.info (CC BY 4.0).

Habitat

Soil mound · also soil · typical for this genus
Watch cleared, sunny ground for wingless queens. After a flight, watch bare or grassy ground for wingless queens.

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