North Texas

Watch Your Step: Fire Ants Invading North Texas

Rain and cooler weather are forcing fire ants to rebuild mounds above ground

Fire ants are on march again in North Texas.

NBC 5 spotted dozens of the insects along the Preston Ridge Trail in Plano on Tuesday.

Mike Merchant is an urban entomologist with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Office. He said it's common for fire ants to move above ground in late fall but that saturated soil is making the transition more obvious.

"The fire ants that have been hidden all summer are now coming closer to the surface in response to all the rain that we got as well as the cooler temperatures," Merchant said.

Merchant said fire ants build above ground to keep the colony warm. They tend to move towards warmer areas like sidewalks, electrical boxes and homes during the winter.

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