Hobbies And Interests
Attack Pattern
Fire ants are capable of biting their prey, but the bite is only the beginning. Once the ant engages its pincers, it swings its abdomen forward to sting the captured prey. Fire ants use this technique on anything from small insects to humans in times of desperation. The sting injects a toxin known as solenopsin into the victim, causing a stinging sensation in large mammals. Smaller animals aren't so lucky, though, and the venom can result in death.
Food Collection
Fire ants, like most other species, subsist on a primarily vegetarian diet. Plants and seeds are a large portion of their meals, but they also kill small animals and devour the meat. The ants are scavengers, so they will span out around their nest in search of a suitable food source. Once the ants exhaust the source, the ant drones continue looking for a new source. The ants don't have the ability to create a renewable food source, so if they can't find something to eat, the colony starves.
Communication
The strict society of the fire ants requires communication from the queen to the drones. The ants communicate with one another using a crude system of signals and pheromones. The pheromones are the most common tool of communication, though. The queen uses her pheromones the most in order to control her drones. The queen's pheromones are the strongest out of any ant in the colony. Her pheromones come across as a command, forcing the drones to obey.
Colony Responsibilities
Ants all have the same sets of skills, so responsibilities in the colony are a result of age instead of ability. Young ants stay near the queen and care for the larvae. Middle-aged drones care for the tunnels and expand the base of the colony. The oldest ants travel out of the colony in search of food. The queens and male fire ants are the only ants that have the same occupation through their entire life span. The queen's job is to direct the drones, give birth and eat. The male fire ant's job is to impregnate the queen.