Red harvester ant

Description:

The main food source for red harvester ants usually consists of seeds, which they hoard in great numbers, hence their name. As with most ant species, their mating castes consist of winged alates (reproductives) that reside in the nest until weather permits them to fly away and mate. After that the male usually dies, while the now-fertilized queen returns to the ground to search for a suitable nesting site. Once she has chosen a site, she sheds her wings and begins to reproduce, creating a new colony. She produces "worker ants" for 1–20 years until her death. Red Harvester Ants can be aggressive and have a painful sting that spreads through the lymph nodes, sometimes causing reactions, especially in animals allergic to their venom. They can also bite ferociously.

Habitat:

Deserts and grasslands

Notes:

In grassy areas, red harvester ants are fairly easy to find. I simply look for the big dirt circle, where the colony has removed vegetation around the opening to their nest. I remember having several colonies of this species on my elementary school playground. We quickly learned to play in areas away from them. Sadly, this species is on the decline, and that is tied to the decline of the Texas horned lizard in several states, mine included.