OriginMyrmica rubra Linnaeus, often called the European fire or red ant, is an adventive species found mainly in the northeastern United States and Quebec, Canada. It was first discovered in Massachusetts in 1908 by Wheeler [1908]. This stinging ant species is considered to be a potential health and ecological risk to the U.S. It is native from the United Kingdom to central Asia, and from Scandinavia to the Black Sea. Spread In the U.S., it has been reported in Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Washington D. C., Rhode Island, New Hampshire. In Canada it has been reported in Ontario, Québec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. Ecological ThreatM. rubra will nest in lawns and gardens. They will sting humans, pets and livestock. In addition to pain, the venom produces sweating at the sting site. There can also be pain or tenderness in the lymph nodes. It is believed the that venom can be lethal. It is also having significant effects on natural ecosystems by reducing ant diversity, richness, and abundance in infested areas.Adults Workers are variations of reddish-brown. Workers are small (0.2in. [4 to 5 mm]). The head and the mesosoma are heavily sculpted. The abdomen is shiny and the body is cover with fine hairs. The antennae have 12 segments with a club made up of four segments and a bent scape. Larvae Larvae feed in the cambium layer of the tree and later in the heartwood. Larvae dig pupation chambers inside the tree, which can be filled with frass. Adults emerge through large (0.4 in. [1 cm]) across, round exit holes.