Fire Ants and How to Get Rid of Them

Termagon Termite & Pest Control Blog

Fire ants can be fearsome foes. These insects can swarm at a moment’s notice, and their bite carries a sting that is hard to forget. For those who are allergic to their venom, fire ant bites can even be deadly. This is why it’s important to know all you can about this ferocious bug — and why it’s important to get rid of fire ants whenever you find them on your property. But how can you do that?

About the Red Fire Ant

Fire ants are called that due both their their fiery red color as the pain and heat a bite inflicts. They can be found pretty much all over the South – from coast to coast — and once they find an area to live in, they go about taking that area methodically and quickly. It doesn’t take more than a few hours for a new colony to form, and soon after that colony is sending out ants up to a football field’s length away in search of food. New colonies sprout up shortly afterwards, and the next thing you know, you’re yard is overrun. So, what can you do about it?

Broadcast Treatments

When this happens, the first order of treatment is to broadcast a fire ant control over your entire yard. There are several options of bait and treatment to choose from — honestly, there’s very little difference between them. What is important, though, is that you thoroughly cover your entire area. Doing this will effectively treat about 80% – 90% of the problem. This makes it manageable, but it doesn’t eradicate them completely.

Individual Mounds

Once you’ve treated the area, you then need to go back and look for individual mounds that survived. One method of targeting these mounds is to put fire ant baits around the base of the mound — not on top — so the ants will easily see them when they are out foraging.

Another method is to take a liquid insecticide and pout it into the mound. Make sure to treat the entire mound; there really is no such thing as “too much” in this case. You have to make sure to pour enough in so that it will reach the queen and deal with the problem. Otherwise, you’ll just have more mounds to face in the near future.

Call in Professionals

If this isn’t working, or if you would like professional treatment from the beginning, it’s never a bad idea to call in the experts. If you are dealing with fire ants (or any other pest problem) contact us at Termagon Termite and Pest Control today to see how we can help.