var arrayFacts=[
"Quite a litter.
A newly mated queen Fire ant lays about a dozen eggs.
These eggs hatch around 7 to 10 days later, but this is actually a small litter for Fire ants.
After the first litter, the queen (who is fed by worker ants) will lay up to 800 eggs per day.",
"They get a little cranking when they're hungry.
Fire ants are aggressive when a good food source is found.
Workers will get rid of other ant species by a process called ‘gaster wagging’ or ‘flagging’ which involves producing a drop of venom on their hind legs and dispersing the poison towards those competing for the available food.",
"Electrical engineers.
Fire ants appear to be attracted to electrical currents and have caused extensive damage by chewing through a wire's insulation.
They've blown out lights on airport runways, electrical outlets and traffic control boxes.",
"They have a fiery temper.
Fire ants are known for boiling up out of the ground.
When disturbed, they come to the surface very quickly and will sting and bite the intruder repeatedly and in unison. About one per cent of those bitten will have an allergic reaction.",
"Solar Energy.
Fire ants build foot-high mounds.
Fire ant mounds are cement-hard and designed to catch the sun's rays to help keep the ants warm on cold days.
Unfortunately, the mounds are so hard, they've damaged farming equipment and road machinery across the southern states.",
"Ant army.
Fire ants can sting repeatedly.
Fire ants will aggressively attack anything or anyone that invades their territory. Unlike bees, however, which die after a single sting, Fire ants can sting repeatedly, and tend to attack in far greater numbers.",
"Tiny pests.
Fire ants have caused extensive damage to the agriculture and infrastructure of areas in which they settle.
They have been known to gather seeds before they've sprouted, destroying potential crops. In North Carolina, Fire ants have built extensive nests under suburban roads, causing raised bumps in the road surface.",
"Ant queen(s)
Fire ants have several queens in one nest.
Unlike other ants, Fire ants have more than one queen. With more queens laying eggs they reproduce quicker than other ant species.",
"Pest controllers.
Fire ants help sugar cane and cotton farmers.
Fire ants like to eat, and therefore control, pests which congregate near sugar cane and cotton crops. This helps farmers, since they don't have to use expensive pesticides to control the pests.
This is especially helpful since, in many cases, pesticides do far greater damage to the environment than Fire ants.",
"An ant by any other name...
Fire ants look like ordinary house or garden ants.
Since they arrived in the United States they have spread rapidly over 11 Southern states. They now occupy over 400 million acres from North Carolina to Texas.
It is believed they were brought to the United States on ships from South America that docked in Mobile, Alabama before World War II.",
"High in the sky.
Fire ants take their nuptial flights from May to September.
After a rainstorm, Fire ants seek new mates. They breed in the air, somewhere between 600 and 800.",
"Home invasions.
In populated areas, Fire ants are also found indoors.
In southern states, foraging ants have invaded homes, office buildings, hospitals and nursing homes. ",
"Ant virus.
In the United States, 25,000 people are treated for Fire ant stings every year.
Their venom produces an itching sensation that increases to a persistent burning, which results in multiple blisters on the skin.",
"Ant compass.
Fire ants have an internal compass.
Some researchers believe that Fire ants have an internal 'compass' which helps them to navigate in the darkness. It is apparently created when Fire ants eat tiny bits of a mineral called magnetite.",
"Spreading like wild Fire (ants).
It takes a Fire ant 30 days to grow from an egg to an adult. This helps explain why Fire ants spread so quickly and are so difficult to eradicate.
On average, a worker ant will live anywhere from 5 weeks to 25 weeks. Queen Fire ants will live 7 years or more."];