Imported fire ants spread through (1) transported sod, hay, beehives or nursery stock that is infested with mated queens or colonies (this is why nursery stock and sod sold outside the fire ant quarantine area must be certified as fire ant-free); (2) queens mated in the air that fly, are blown or are transported into new areas when they land on vehicles; (3) flooded colonies that form "rafts" or balls that float to new areas; or (4) by "budding off," the process by which fire ant colonies with more than one queen start new colonies. Entire colonies can also move from one location to another when the colonies are disturbed, but in these cases they generally don't move very far.