identification – Ant Pests

What are the big, red, fuzzy ants I see sometimes?

Velvet ant

The one-inch-long, fuzzy, red and black “ants” that you see are not fire ants. They are called velvet ants or cow killers in some areas but are actually a type of wasp. Males are winged, while females …

How can I tell the difference between fire ants and some of the common native ants?

Fire ant workers are polymorphic, which means that their workers can vary in size from 1/16 to almost 1/4 inch long. In contrast, native ant species’ workers are uniform in size.

Imported fire ant mounds can sometimes reach…