 Imported fire ants came from South America. They were accidentally carried to Mobile, Alabama on commercial ships. By 2015, imported fire ants had spread into 16 states and one commonwealth of the United States. Fire ants established colonies on almost any type of soil, but they prefer open, sunny areas such as pastures, parks, lawns, and cultivated fields. Winged fire ant queens establish new colonies, but you won't see a mound right away. A new colony does not produce a visible mound until the queen has been laying eggs one to two months. The average mature fire ant colony contains hundreds of thousands of workers, brood, and winged reproductives. In some areas, fire ant colonies have only a single queen. In other areas, a colony can have as many as 80 queens. Queens may live six years or more and are the only fire ants that can lay eggs.