Bug FAQSouthern Fire Ant
Solenopsis xyloni · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Formicidae
Also called: Californian Fire Ant
Source: Wikipedia
It eats a wide range of foods, stores seeds in its nest, and harvests honeydew from other insects.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
It has a broad, opportunistic diet, storing seeds in its nest and feeding on honeydew from other insects.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It co-occurs with the red imported fire ant, the golden fire ant, and Solenopsis amblychila.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 17 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, Nevada, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Colorado.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Does the southern fire ant sting?
Yes, it can sting, but the sting is milder than that of the red imported fire ant.
Source: Wikipedia
What does the southern fire ant eat?
It eats many things, stores seeds in its nest, and collects honeydew from other insects.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Formicidae)
Eastern Black Carpenter AntCamponotus pennsylvanicusCan damage your home
Red Imported Fire AntSolenopsis invictaCan sting
American Winter AntPrenolepis imparis
Argentine AntLinepithema humileNuisance, not dangerous
Immigrant Pavement AntTetramorium immigransCan sting
Odorous House AntTapinoma sessileCan damage your homeSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_fire_ant
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.