Reactions to the Stings of the Imported Fire Ant

Abstract
COEXISTENCE with the pugnacious imported fire ant has become a necessary evil for residents of both the rural and the urban Gulf South.1 The spread of these insects has produced agricultural problems,2 and their stings have resulted in increasing numbers of persons with hypersensitivity reactions, secondary infections, and neurologic sequelae.1 , 3 , 4 Two recent evolutionary changes in the ants may make the expansion of their geographical range more likely.5 , 6 Imported Fire Ants in the United StatesBoth the black imported fire ant, Solenopsis richteri (native to Argentina and Uruguay), and the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta (native to northern Argentina, Paraguay, . . .