How did the red ants come to the United States in the novel, Deacon King Kong?

The red ants came to the United States in 1951, via a Colombian worker named Hector Maldonez. Maldonez lived in Brooklyn for six years before returning to Colombia to divorce his faithful wife. Before he left to return to the U.S., she gave him a package of his favorite food. He opened the package upon reaching Brooklyn and discovered it contained not food but red ants, which immediately infested the area.