Unlike the black garden ant, fire ants have a few distinguishing features.
Some ant species are often mistaken for fire ants, so use the resources below to learn how to identify fire ants.
Features of fire ants
Fire ants are:
- copper brown in colour with a darker abdomen
- quite small at 2–6 mm
- found in a variety of sizes within the one nest.
When checking suspicious ant nests gently poke the nest with a long stick and observe the ants that come out.
Be careful not to get too close, as fire ants are aggressive. They swarm when disturbed and have a painful sting.
For help with identifying fire ants, see our fire ant identification video and fire ant photo gallery below.
How to identify fire ants
This video contains no dialogue, and only music.
On screen, text reads as follows:
How do you identify fire ants?
Fire ant nests:
- look like mounds or patches of loose soil
- have no visible entry or exit holes.
Where to look, residential:
- lawns
- footpath edges
- around garden beds
- near taps
- utility pits.
Where to look, rural:
- around dams
- edges of cultivated land
- cropland
- along fencelines
- in and around piles of organic matter.
Fire ants:
- 2-6mm in length
- a mix of sizes in one nest
- copper brown in colour, with a darker abdomen.
How to check:
- Gently poke the nest with a long stick. Don't touch!
- Look for ants erupting from the nest.
- Check the colour and size of the ants.
Think you've found fire ants? Report them to us: National Fire Ant Eradication Program. fireants.org.au or call 132 ANT (13 22 68).
