Solenopsis invicta, The Red imported fire ant
Species Fire ants are probably the best known ants after the wood ants. Fire ants sting many people every year and form a huge problem in the Southern part of the USA.
There are 280 species of fire ants or red ants. This ant Genus Solenopsis is found all over the world. But is is the Solenopsis invicta or Red imported fire ant (RIFA) that causes most of these problems in the US. The RIFA was accidently imported in 1993 via a Brazilian cargo. Rifa is responsible for at least US$750 cost, varying from pest control to damage to crops.
Map based on current distribution data and ars.usda.gov
Errr . . this text is pretty wrong or at best/least very misleading.
S. invicta may well have this “potential” global range under current climatic conditions, but the actual known range of infestation is (luckily) far smaller at present.
RIFA are known to have been present (Wilson et al) in the continental USA since 1938 (docks, Mobile, Alabama), and their sister genus, the black fire ant (BIFA or S. richteri), for some 20 years longer.
US national impact is currently quantified (USDA, 2010) at US$5 billion per annum, and the cost to landholders, industry and government (including medical costs) for Texas alone is estimated at US$800-1000m per annum (USDA 2010).
I have being stung by one of these and it hurts like hell