Reply #48: I am an entomologist who studied fire ants for my Master's degree [View All]

There are a number of fire ant species in the United States, and some of them are indigenous.

The ones that most everyone is aware of is Solenopsis invicta from South America. They are widespread because they are not native and have few natural enemies in the United States. They are generally red in colcor, though and leave a characteristic painful bite that develops into a swollen area with a blister on top.

There are other fire ant species, though, that are black in color. They live in the temperate Eastern part of the country, if my memory serves me correctly.

There are, of course, many other ant species that pack a powerful bite, but are not fire ants. The blister is characteristic of the fire ant because their toxin has a substance that causes it specifically.

Your scans are not adequate enough to identify the ant, but from its size, it looks to be pretty small. A fire ant of some sort is likely. Perhaps Solenopsis xylinoi, but it really is a wild guess. You certainly are in the right area.