HOUSTON — People in and around the areas hit by floodwaters from Hurricane Harvey in Houston have begun to see colonies of floating fire ant rafts. <br /> <br />Fire ants are an invasive species from South America, and have spread across the southern U.S, according to Business Insider. <br /> <br />To escape the rising water, fire ants quickly link together to form a raft. They lock their legs and bodies together tightly enough to trap air in the raft. <br /> <br />The ants at the bottom are linked so closely together than no water can get through. <br /> <br />The queen and the larvae are kept at the center of the structure. <br /> <br />The raft changes shape as it floats, with ants moving across the top and joining the stationary layer on the bottom, according to a fire ant raft study. <br /> <br />Fire ants can live in these structures for weeks or longer as they search for dryland.
