Whereabouts in TX are you? I’m in Lafayette, LA, which as I said, is about 3-4 hours east of Houston (my Rep., Charles Boustany, a retired heart surgeon, will be giving the rebuttal to Obama tonight). We certainly have fire ants in the area, and I know what they look like...these ain’t them! As to the question about whether or not they bite, they do. The first time I got bit, I was sitting on my sidewalk doing some edging and felt a pin prick on my wrist. I looked down and the little critter has his jaws locked in my skin and he was holding on like a monkey trying to ride a bronco. That was early evening after work, and by bed time, I had a rash spreading up and down my arm from the bite. The next morning, the whole area was slightly puffy and swollen and itched like poison ivy.
Anyway, as for the behaviorally-challenged ants per the article, I don't know of anyone personally this far north who has encountered them--yet. Your account of the bites, though, with the rash is consistent with my dogs' reaction. Maybe a field study is in order this wkend.