ABSTRACT
The biology and ecology of the red imported fire ant and the black imported fire ant have been studied extensively in the United States, but comparable studies have not been conducted in South America. Although estimates of the number of ants per colony in mounds have not been made in Brazil, as in the United States, some general observations can be made. S. invicta had been considered a monogynous species until the reports by B. M. Glancey et al of a colony that contained hundreds of fertile queens. Mating flights are the primary means of natural spread and reinfestation for S. invicta and fire ants in general. The main food sources of S. invicta in Brazil appear to be other arthropods. Many of the same or related arthropods have been found in fire ant nests in Mato Grosso. Fire ant colonies are supposed to be common in termite mounds in Mato Grosso.
