History in California

This section includes information on the biology and identification of fire ants, the treatment protocol for Red Imported Fire Ants and the environmental issues related to the pests' presence in California.

To review these topics, please click on these links.

Fire Ant vs. Fire Ant Click HERE to find out how to identify the Red Imported Fire Ant from California's native fire ants. (Photo/University of California Cooperative Extension

• Biology
• Identification
• Treatment
• Environment

Though common in the Southeast, Red Imported Fire Ants have only recently appeared in California, Arizona and New Mexico. The California infestations were discovered in 1998, when Nevada officials notified the California Department of Food and Agriculture that nursery products shipped from an Orange County commercial nursery to Las Vegas contained Red Imported Fire Ants. The discovery triggered a massive survey of Southern California. Red Imported Fire Ant colonies have now been found in five Southern California counties: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego, isolated agricultural areas of Kern, Fresno, Madera and Stanislaus counties, as well as the most recent find in Sacramento County.