- SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - More ``killer'' fire ants are turning up
across Southern California, where fresh infestations have been detected
in at least three counties around Los Angeles.
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- The California Department of Food and
Agriculture said Friday that fire ant mounds had been found in Orange,
Los Angeles and Riverside counties and that an extensive survey was under
way to determine the true extent of the invasion.
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- The domed ant mounds, at least 15 inches
wide at their base and about six inches high, are usually found in relatively
moist areas, such as under trees, along the edges of lawns or in flower
beds.
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- The winged fire ants, which originally
came from South America, are slowly working their way north, and their
sting can cause a severe reaction and even death for those allergic to
their venom.
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- The state's Food and Agriculture Department
noted that fire ants could become extremely aggressive when protecting
their nests.
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- ``A disturbed mound will result in large
numbers of worker ants rising to the surface to defend the colony,'' the
department said in a statement. ``An unsuspecting victim can rapidly be
covered with stinging ants.''
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- The ants have been known to kill deer,
calves, snakes and turtles. They also destroy seedling corn and soybeans,
eat buds and fruit on plants, and ruin potatoes and peanuts when they burrow
underground.
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- Fire ants were accidentally introduced
into the United States in 1918 in Mobile, Alabama, from South America,
according to scientists. The first U.S. quarantine because of fire ant
infestation began in 1958, and they are now found in at least 11 Southern
U.S. states.
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