Residents to Be Asked to Fund Fire Ant Battle

In an effort to revive the Coachella Valley's battle against red imported fire ants, pest control officials will ask residents if they're willing to pay an additional $10 a year in property taxes to help get rid of the colonies.

A year ago, budget-strapped California cut $3 million in state funding to local governments to fight the invasion.

Red imported fire ants came to the United States from South America, probably on ships, and took root in California in the late 1990s.