Flooding, Rising Seas may Make Louisiana's Fire Ants 'Bigger, Meaner' and their Bites Nastier
By Tristan Baurick
The Advocate
Sea level rise and flooding are making fire ants bigger and meaner, and their bite a whole lot worse.
According to a new Louisiana State University study, freshwater and saltwater flooding amps up the already aggressive nature of the red fire ant (Solenopsis invicta), an imported South American species that has proliferated in Louisiana over the past century. Flooding also triggers an upgrade in the ants’ arsenal, giving them bigger heads for stronger biting and much larger venom sacs to make each bite produce more stinging and swelling.