On October 8, 2001, I received the following e-mail response:

These ants are harvester ants.  They belong to to genus Pogonomyrmex and are probably the species occidentalis.  They are a very common group of native ants with a number of different species.  Some make large mounds other don't.  They do have a very painful sting.

If you have any more questions please contact me.

Jeff
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Jeff B. Knight, Entomologist
Nevada Department of Agriculture
350 Capitol Hill Ave., Reno NV 89502
(775)688-1182 ext 245 jknight@govmail.state.nv.us
 

Mr. Iverson reviewed various items contained in the handout Exhibit D. He explained the first map in the exhibit showed the distribution of imported Fire Ants throughout the United States. Fire Ants, a particularly aggressive pest, first showed up in Mobile, Alabama. The ants had become thoroughly entrenched in the southeastern part of the county and were rapidly moving westward into New Mexico and Arizona. Arizona’s governor had declared a health emergency due to the fire ant infestation that state was currently experiencing. Mr. Iverson pointed out Fire Ants had shown up in California, and more recently in Las Vegas. Fire Ants were like no other ants, because they were extremely aggressive, their stings were exceptionally potent, and they were capable of inflicting terrible multiple bites on their victims, both human and animal. They swarm over their victims, stinging them voraciously and repeatedly, causing terrible swelling and serious systemic reactions, even death. Mr. Iverson said Fire Ants had been discovered six times in Nevada, and each time they were eradicated. The discovery of Fire Ants in California was particularly distressing because most of Nevada’s nursery stock came from the area in which Fire Ants were recently discovered. A quarantine had been established both in California and the nursery in Las Vegas where the Fire Ants were discovered. When fire ant colonies were discovered, quarantines were imposed in a quarter mile radius, hundreds of traps were placed, and extensive searches and trap monitoring continued afterward. Thousands of ants were contained in a single fire ant nest.

Mr. Neighbors asked how Fire Ants adapted to high altitudes and cold temperatures if they came from low altitudes and temperate areas. Mr. Iverson expressed his concern regarding that pest’s adaptability. He said Fire Ants, as well as Africanized Honey Bees, were hybridizing. The process of genetic hybridizing allowed those insects to build tolerance levels to conditions that were not normal to them only a decade ago.

RED IMPORTED FIRE ANTS

There are several ant species in Las Vegas that are similar in appearance to the RIFA.   A native fire ant, Solenopsis xyloni, is very common around homes.  Distinguishing native from imported fire ants is very difficult; identification requires special training and the use of a microscope.  Native fire ants sting, but their venom less potent than that of the RIFA for most people.  A benign red and black ant in the genus Conomyrma also occurs commonly around Las Vegas homes.  Conomyrma workers within a single colony are typically all of similar size, whereas fire ant workers (native and imported) vary in size.  Conomyrma workers do not sting, and should not be removed from yards and gardens.  Native ants like Conomyrma compete with invasive ants like the RIFA and the Argentine ant, and may slow their spread

Links

The following is an amazing article: