Why You Should Not Keep Fire Ants (Solenopsis)

It's quite likely you have heard of fire ants such as Solenopsis geminata (the tropical fire ant) or Solenopsis invicta (the red imported fire ant). They often appear in YouTube videos, which rarely show how hard they really are to keep. These fire ants grow extremely fast, are very aggressive and cause enormous damage around the world. Even with the utmost care, an escape can never be ruled out. Note that this does not apply to every Solenopsis: the European thief ant, Solenopsis fugax, is a very different story.

First: fire ants are banned in the EU

Solenopsis invicta, Solenopsis geminata and Solenopsis richteri are on the EU list of invasive alien species of Union concern. This means you are not allowed to keep, buy, sell or transport them anywhere in the EU. There is a good reason for that: if they escape and settle here, they can do serious damage to nature. We do not sell them, and we advise everyone against buying them elsewhere.

Why new keepers buy them

Many new ant keepers want a fire ant colony after seeing one with their favourite content creator. This can end in disaster, even for keepers with years of experience. At first they seem easy. But once the colony reaches a few hundred workers, it suddenly explodes in size. The queen starts laying huge numbers of eggs, and they turn into workers quickly. I have seen colonies fill a fresh nest completely in just a few weeks.

On top of that, they are escape artists. If they lack food, water or space, they put all their effort into getting out, sometimes even past a fluon barrier. Within a few hours your room can be full of angry, stinging ants. If someone in your home is allergic to their venom, that can be life threatening.

The sting

A fire ant sting feels like a bee or wasp sting and leaves red, itchy bumps for a few days. One sting is not too bad, but many stings at once really hurt, even if you are not allergic. In people who are allergic, stings can cause a serious allergic reaction, and in rare cases fire ant stings have been fatal.

Expensive to keep

A large fire ant colony eats an enormous amount, and all those feeder insects add up quickly. On top of that you keep needing new, bigger nests, and they have to be acrylic nests, because fire ants chew through most other materials. Large acrylic nests are expensive.

Picture: my own young colony of Solenopsis. Little did I know how fast they would grow.

My experience

I have found Solenopsis a real challenge to keep, with new problems coming up all the time. They are easy to grow but very hard to contain. You learn a lot from them and the orange colour is gorgeous, but they are not worth the risk. Looking for a species with a sting and plenty of action? Choose a European species such as Manica rubida (which you can buy in our shop) or Myrmica rubra, the European fire ant.

Curious about fire ant biology? Read how a supergene gives fire ant larvae a head start.

See it for yourself

Still not convinced how hard fire ants are to keep? Watch this video from the YouTuber Ants Hood, who explains it all.

Living in the United States?

Fire ants are a real problem in the southern US. Our US store explains in more detail why you should not keep fire ants. For a better first colony, see the best beginner ant species for your part of the USA.