“Aggressive” fire ants that float on water by linking thousands of their insect bodies together have invaded the Richmond area.
Why it matters: They mate in the air, thrive in heat, and form those life rafts to survive floods — which often happen around the James River.
Driving the news: Late last month, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced that imported fire ants have become “established” in more parts of the state.
- This includes Chesterfield, Petersburg, Hopewell and Colonial Heights.
- Previously, these containment zones were concentrated in southeast Virginia.
- Now they’re in 33 localities and VDACS is trying to stop them from spreading to more.
Threat level: These invasive fire ants, run by queens and found in Virginia since 1989, can cause extremely painful stings, per VDACS.
- They won’t kill you — unless you’re allergic to their venom — but they could give you pus-filled blisters that last days.
- Their mounds can reach up to two feet tall and the average colony can contain up to 245,000 of them, according to the University of Tennessee.
- They also mate hundreds of feet in the air, usually after rainfall and when the temperature is between 70 and 95 degrees — which it will be all of this week.
Where they’re found: Parks, lawns, fields, against buildings and around trees…