Reproduction in Fire Ants

Invasive fire ants such as the Tropical Fire Ant (Solenopsis geminata) and the Red Imported Fire Ant (S. invicta) have been spread across the globe unintentionally by human activity in the past century.They cause enormous economic damage in costs of control, medical treatment, and damage to property in their newly established ranges. Current methods of control have done little to alleviate impacts of the rapid expansion and enormous population buildups of these invasive pest insects. UGA entomologists conducted detailed genetic analyses of S. geminata to reveal a highly unusual mode of reproduction that differs significantly from what has been found previously in S. invicta, suggesting the two species may not be susceptible to identical control measures.