Solenopsis invicta Buren, also known as the red imported fire ant (RIFA), has had a very negative effect on biological diversity, public safety, agriculture, and economics. Because of the growth in global trade, the RIFA threat to China will continue to increase. To better understand characteristics of newly observed distributions of RIFA, we studied the effects of three factors including provincial areas, landcover types, and climatic conditions on the 130 new occurrence records in 2021. (1) We found that RIFA preferred to invade Sichuan and Guangxi, and provinces that are large agricultural producers were more vulnerable to invasive RIFA. Guangdong was the most damaged province, and wealthy provinces, especially southeastern coastal provinces, were more at risk and suffered a bigger loss from the further RIFA threat. (2) Compared with other habitats, plantations received more significant damage from invasive RIFA. (3) Areas with an annual precipitation of 516.4 mm, annual average temperature of 18.6°C, or elevation of 569.9 m had a great abundance of invasive RIFA. Our study suggests that stringent inspection and quarantine measures are necessary in new occurrence areas to prevent further RIFA outbreak, and highlights the need for cross‐provincial cooperation and national coordination to slow its spread.

BACKGROUND The red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren is one of the world's most successful and destructive invasive ant species. In mainland China, fast, monthly and annual pest reports on all pests have been established since 2010. The distribution of S. invicta resulting from climate change in China was predicted using MaxEnt modeling in combination with comprehensive surveillance data and 56 environmental factors. RESULTS The fast and monthly reports revealed that S. invicta had spread to new territories almost every year in this timeframe. The transportation of seedlings and deployment of turfgrass were the major artificial transmission pathways. Annual reports indicated that control efforts had effectively reduced its occurrence areas and degree of severity of infestations, and retrieved the economic loss caused by S. invicta. The MaxEnt model predicted that S. invicta would expand to 23 provinces in China as a result of climate change. Moisture variables were the key factors affecting the distribution of this pest. CONCLUSION Based on the theoretical reference framework of this research, China proposed the first‐ever integrated tactics against a single pest, jointly involving nine ministries, which include clarifying responsibilities, cutting off transmission pathways, strengthening surveillance, declaring pest distributions and conducting preventive and control campaigns. Practical efforts and measures combating the devastation of S. invicta may shed light on its management and other invasive species worldwide. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.