ATHENS, GA — University of Georgia researchers are warning about a growing threat from an invasive species known as the Asian needle ant.
Researchers say the ant’s sting can be life-threatening, particularly for people who have allergies to bees or other ants.
“There are probably people in Georgia and throughout the Southeast who have been stung, wound up in the hospital, didn’t know what happened to them. Because, again, the ant is tiny, little 3/16 of an inch thing, and you’re working in the garden, you get stung and ten minutes later you’re in distress and you wind up in the hospital,” said Dan Suiter with the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
Suiter says the ants are small, about three-sixteenths of an inch long, and can be difficult to spot.
Researchers say the species tends to live in wooded areas with leaf litter, rocks, dead logs and other damp environments, including firewood piles and tree bark.
Unlike other ants, they do not form visible trails or large mounds, which can make them harder for people to detect.
The ants have been found across the country, but researchers say they are especially concentrated in the Southeast and are now being seen more frequently.
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Officials say the species can disrupt local ecosystems by competing with native ants that play an important role in the environment.
Researchers also warn the ants are considered a “medical pest,” meaning they can pose a risk to people as well as the environment.
They say anyone who has had a reaction to bee or ant stings in the past could be at risk of a serious reaction, including anaphylactic shock, if stung.
People who are at risk should be aware of the ant and may need to carry emergency medication.