Each year, fire ants cause millions of dollars worth of damage to the livestock industry. Most of this damage is due to blindness and death to young or debilitated livestock that cannot escape attacks by fire ant workers.
Fire ant mounds may also interfere with livestock foraging, and the abandoned mounds may collapse beneath the weight of an animal, causing injury. Fire ants also reduce forage avalibility and decrease production (in pounds of weight gain per acre or reduction in stocking rate) by reducing pasture area that can be grazed.
See also: FAQ #1101 "How do fire ants affect other animal populations?"
