on 8/11/2007 5:18 PM Keith Stelter said the following:
I live in Michigan, right across the lake from Chicago. I grew up on a farm,
and we've always had "red ants" that would bite.
They were usually fairly small. I've also experienced the Southern type fire
ants, and the ones up North are NOT the same. Southern fire ants will attach
animals or people who just happen to be near them. The ones that we have up
here will only bite if you are really messing with them or if they get
caught in your clothes.



All ants "bite". Fire ants "sting" (inject formic acid) with a stinger
on their abdomen. Look it up.

"willshak" wrote in message
...

on 8/11/2007 4:20 PM said the following:

Hi!

I live in Chicago and just stumbled upon some sort of really small red
ants. It turns out that it bit me and felt like a sting. I did some
research on 'fireants', and I read that they can't survive/live in
Chicago.

I was wondering if anybody has any ideas on what could have stung
me!

Thanks!
Mike

The "Fire Ants" most of us think of is the S American fire ant that has
migrated into the southern US. However, there is another fire ant that can
exist in the northern US, and that is the European Fire Ant (Myrmica
rubra). Like its southern counterpart, it can sting.

--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
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--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
To email, remove the double zeroes after @