Published on Sep. 11, 2025, 8:17 PM
The ant can cause widespread ecological damage.
Wasmannia auropunctata, also referred to as the electric or little fire ant, is a small, golden-brown ant species native to Central and South America.
It has made its way to five continents, including North America. In warmer regions, it invades the wild, outcompeting native ants, preying on native insects and sometimes small animals. The ant can disrupt ecosystems by reducing populations of native species. It’s been called one of the top 100 worst invasive species on the planet, because of the widespread ecological damage it causes.
Its bites are painful, described as feeling like an electric shock or burn, hence their nicknames.
The ants are also an agricultural menace. By protecting agricultural pests like aphids from natural predators in exchange for honeydew — a key food source — they enable pest populations to grow, leading to increased crop damage and reduced yields.
The ant has been found living in Canadian greenhouses. While our climate is currently too cold for it to spread outdoors, a recent report from the University of Toronto suggests the little fire ant, along with several other non-native ant species currently living in Canadian buildings, could venture outside as global temperatures rise.
“We tend to think of non-native species invading outdoor environments only,” Toby Tsang, a postdoctoral researcher in the department of biological sciences at U of T Scarborough and lead author of the study, says in a statement.