Opinion of fire ants

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Positive impacts: control pest populations, aerate soil, part of the food chain
Negative impacts: their sting is dangerous to all other animals including humans, cause millions of dollars worth of damage annually, reduce other food sources for humans and wildlife

Obvious HI and arguably one species the world could adapt to if they were extinct, but I'm not an expert on that.

[SuzerainOfSwat]

I recently was attacked by a hill of fire ants. Went into the prone on a fire ant hill while pulling security during a field exercise. They got under my blouse and undershirt and bit the sh**t out of my belly and chest area. Thankfully none got in my trousers.


Bottom Line: F*** Fire Ants

[Rand]

When I lived in the desert I used to drown their hills in gasoline and burn them out. They were everywhere.

[Frodo]

I have heard rumors that fire ants have developed a taste for electronics, and have been found inside computers.  Is this true?

[Lambsbread]

Fun to snort

[dead0man]

fine art is overrated...what?  oh fire ant?  no thanks.  I had a few run ins with them when I lived in the south and eff those guys.  About as bad as a honeybee sting, but the wounds seem to stick around a lot longer.  Insects that try and fight their betters (all higher forms of life) need to just go.  One of the worst parts of that "outside" place.  At least they don't get too big here.  Far enough north to not get the giant bugs the south has and not far enough north to get those mosquitos big enough to carry livestock.