How to Raise Fire Ants
Fire ants are easy to distinguish among other ants because they have copper-colored heads and a darker body color. The worker ants are more reddish in color. The sting of a fire ant feels a lot like fire, hence the name, and produces a red, painful bump. The affected area can become infected if scratched. Fire ants are also called ginger ants and tropical fire ants. Fire ants can be very interesting to watch and you can do it in your own home.
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Instructions
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How to Raise Fire Ants
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The first thing you have to do is capture the ants. To do this, you can use a shovel and dig up an ant hill and capture them that way. Or you can try to lure them away from their colony. To lure them you can use some sugar water, pieces of fruit, or anything sweet. It is important that you capture the queen ant. A colony will not survive long without a queen.
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Take your glass jar and fill it about halfway with dirt. Make sure the dirt is moist but not wet.
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Take the bottle cap and put water inside of it and place it inside of the jar on top of the dirt.
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Place food, such as pieces of apple or banana, or sugar, inside of the jar.
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Place the fire ants inside of the jar, being careful to avoid getting stung by them.
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Place cheesecloth over the opening of the jar, securing it tightly with a rubber band. The cheesecloth provides a way to keep the ants inside of the jar but gives them a way to get the proper air that they need to breathe.
If You Get Stung by Fire Ants
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Fire ants will bite down on a person with their pincers and then sting from their abdomen, releasing venom. If you get stung, clean the affected area with soap and water.
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Take an antihistamine such as Benadryl to prevent allergic reactions.
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Mix baking soda and water to create a paste. Put this paste on the affected area.
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Use ice to reduce the pain and swelling, and to prevent itching.
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Tips & Warnings
Fire ants work best in the dark.
Make sure they always have water to drink.
If you lose interest in your ant colony, remember to release them back where you found them.
The queen ant is bigger than the rest of the ants. It is important to have a queen.
Keep the top of jar secure at all times to prevent ants from getting out.
Change food regularly to prevent mold.
Never touch the ants without protection to avoid getting stung.
References
- Photo Credit John Foxx/Stockbyte/Getty Images
