fire ant

noun

any of several omnivorous ants, as the migrant Solenopsis geminata originating in tropical and subtropical South America, having a sting that produces a burning sensation.

fire ant

any mound-building predatory ant of the genus Solenopsis , of tropical and subtropical America, that can inflict a painful sting

First recorded in 1790–1800

The more you scratch a fire-ant bite, the more the darn thing itches.

Then, pointing the nose of the animal toward the trail, he gave his haunch a pinch like the nipping of a fire ant.

Cockroaches swarm everywhere; but the fire-ant is, for its size, probably the most terrible of created beings.

The most annoying of the species is the fire-ant—a little creature of a shining reddish colour.

There are also two kinds of ants, the sěmut pi (“fire ant”) and the sěmut lda (“pepper ant”), whose bites are peculiarly painful.

There is the fire-ant of the Amazon valley, which will put human beings to flight.

April 19, 2024tortuous

[tawr-choo-uhs ]

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