The little fire ant (Wasmannia auropunctata), also known as the electric ant, is a small (approx 1.5 mm (1⁄16 in) long), light to golden brown (ginger) social ant native to Central and South America, now spread to parts of Africa (including Gabon and Cameroon), Taiwan,[2] North America, Puerto Rico,[3] Israel,[4][5] Cuba, St. Croix and six Pacific Island groups (including the Galápagos Islands, Hawaii, New Caledonia and the Solomon Islands) plus north-eastern Australia (Cairns).

The antennal scape (the first segment) is received into a distinct groove (scrobe) that extends almost to the posterior border of the head.

W. auropunctata thelytokous queens from clonal populations can reproduce by automictic parthenogenesis involving central fusion of haploid meiotic products, a process that allows conservation of heterozygosity in progeny.

[12] The sharp decrease in recombination rates likely allows clonal queens using automixis to benefit from thelytoky (transmission of their entire genomes to individual progeny), while also avoiding the potential for inbreeding depression that would result from random fusion of meiotic products leading to loss of heterozygosity.

[14][15] The little fire ants are effective predators that have a venomous sting that can subdue large insects and vertebrate prey.

These ants are also considered a residential pest as they establish colonies in furniture, food, and clothing in people's homes.

[8] The species has been unintentionally transported from its native range to Africa, North America, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Israel, Taiwan,[2] St. Croix, and multiple Pacific Island groups.

But, little fire ants are found in Canada and England where they find refuge in large human infrastructure and greenhouses.

Some workers and farmers may have issues properly harvesting crops in high density little fire ant agricultural areas.

[17] Research shows that the ant can strip nutrients from agricultural plants, which increases crop susceptibility to disease and other herbivorous insect pests.

The program was initiated to provide improved quarantine protocols for the Polynesian area, in addition to raising awareness of the possible impact of the little fire ant.

[15] Generally, better agricultural land management—including the reduction of monocultures and lower crop production—can reduce little fire ant populations.

In addition, proper land management plans can alleviate ant population spikes that occur in highly degraded areas.

When first constructing an agricultural field, minimizing landscape changes—such a deforestation—can prevent or reduce the population density of the little fire ant.