News Humans U.S. probably began global fire ant spread Recent invasions appear to have originated in the U.S. South By Susan Milius February 25, 2011 at 6:28 pm - More than 2 years ago Share this:Share Share via email (Opens in new window) Email Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X Click to print (Opens in new window) Print Genetic evidence now spotlights the United States as the source of recent fire ant invasions in the rest of the world.The aggressive, stinging fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) aren’t native to the United States but rather to a broad swath of South America.