Fire ants are more than just nuisances. They are aggressive pests that attack and sting repeatedly when their territories are disturbed. Take charge of fire ant invasions by understanding their behavior and options for how to control infestations. This guide will show you how to get rid of fire ants so you can protect your family and your home.
To identify an ant, try to get a good cell phone shot.
“The closer and more magnified the better,” Schappert said. Email it to a local pest control company, which can help classify it.
The key to keeping ants out is to make your home less open and attractive.
“As a general rule if homeowners reduce conducive conditions, their chances of having ants attracted to the home is less,” said Schappert, who offered these tips:
• Keep shrubbery and trees from touching the house.
• Seal any obvious gaps, cracks or potential points of entry into the home.
• Keep grass trimmed low if it is up against the house.
• Move log piles or other materials that sit undisturbed for long periods away from the home.
Garbage storage is a big attractant if kept outside but near the home as are uncleaned grills, especially if right next to the house, Schappert said.
There’s a multitude of DIY products available that are safe to be used around people and pets.
“Armed with the knowledge of what their ant eats, where they prefer to nest, etc., DIYers can feel reasonably confident they can win the battle with ants. Read and follow all label instructions,” Schappert said.
One major problem with treating ants on your own is that people often do not read labels.
“If they do, the tendency to double the mix rate or spray on all the surfaces causes a potential problem. Studies show that doubling the mix rate does not make the ant any deader,” Schappert said.
Almost all ant infestations can be dealt with from the outside, except when the problem has festered too long.
“That said, we approach each ant call we get from the outside in first. Works very well,” Schappert said.
Red imported fire ants are no bugs to be trifled with. These dark, reddish-brown insects get their common name ("fire ants") from the sharp, burning pain that their stings cause. In large amounts, fire ant venom can affect the nervous system severely enough to cause hallucinations. In rare cases, a fire ant's venom can trigger an allergic reaction strong enough to cause the victim to go into shock.
If you have a fire ant infestation, your highest priorities should be safety and finding an effective, long-term pest control solution. Below are the most critical things that you should and should NOT do when dealing with these insects.
DO keep your distance.
A fire ant colony stretches much farther than the mound that sits on top of your lawn. When the ants feel threatened, they swarm out of a network of underground tunnels to sting the "enemy." If you see a dirt mound on your property, stay away, and make sure to keep your family members and pets away from it as well.
DO check for other mounds.
If your infestation involves a multiple-queen colony, there could be dozens of other mounds around your yard. Scope out your property to know where they are and where the danger is. Proceed with caution, and wear close-toed shoes when checking out the situation, in case you happen to walk close to some fire ant tunnels.
DO let your neighbors know.
Very likely, if you have fire ants, your neighbors do too. Warn your neighbors about the infestation on their property so that they can check for one on theirs. They'll appreciate the heads-up, especially if they have children and pets who play in the yard!
DO NOT spray with hairspray or household cleaning products.
Most beauty and household cleaning products will not kill the colony entirely. While some of these products may act as temporary repellents, the ants will most likely move just a few feet over.
DO NOT bother with dry rice or grits.
The idea behind this pest control method is that the ants will eat the rice or grits, drink water, and then die when the grain expands inside them. However, the fire ant workers can't consume solids, only liquids, which makes this method useless.
DO NOT pour boiling water over the mound.
Pouring boiling water on and around the mound may kill many fire ants, but it's unlikely to kill the queen. The colony will return and rebuild. Plus, you risk scalding yourself in the process.
DO NOT attempt to burn the mound.
When that small voice in your head says, "Kill it with fire!", ignore it! Many people try to construct makeshift flamethrowers out of lighters and flammable aerosol sprays. They then attempt to burn fire ant mounds out of existence. As with the methods mentioned above, you can't get rid of the entire infestation this way. More than likely, you'll end up calling the fire department or heading to the emergency room. Distance from your full spectrum LED grow light to plants can be a problem to consider.
A Long-Term Solution to Fire Ants
Without professional training and experience, it can be difficult to determine the extent of your fire ant infestation. It can be even harder to treat the problem effectively on your own in a safe way with lasting results.
At Sage Pest Control, we have years of experience handling fire ant issues for homeowners in Charlotte, Greensboro, and Raleigh. We use integrated pest management strategies to not only treat the current problem but also prevent infestations from returning. Our pest control experts use the best, eco-friendly products available--a much safer and more effective alternative to the products available off the shelf at Walmart or Home Depot. What's more, quantum board led grow light is eco-friendly.
Where are Fire Ants Found?
Fire ants are found in mounds. Fire ant colonies can have a single queen or a small group of queens. Within a month, a fire ant colony can grow to thousands. They are very aggressive and will violently attack anything if their mounds or nests are disturbed.
Fire ants are always on the move and migrate rapidly. They nest in almost any type of soil, but prefer open, sunny areas. They will set up camp in gardens, lawns or anywhere they can dig tunnels and build a mound. Unlike a typical ant hill, there is no entry to the fire ant nest through the mound. Fire ants enter the nest via tunnels that may reach several feet or more beyond the mound itself. A mound is not the sole indicator of an active colony nor is it necessary for the survival of a fire ant colony, which makes them hard to kill.
How to Treat a Fire Ant Mound?
The most effective way to kill fire ants is to use the two-step method: baiting and mound drench. The first step involves using bait to kill the queen and other worker ants deep in the colony. The second step is to use insecticide for targeted treatments on the mounds. For both methods, it's best to treat fire ant infestations in cooler weather or in early morning or late evening hours when the ants are actively foraging.
How to Get Rid of Fire Ants Indoors?
Ant baits work well as an indoor treatment because ants are social creatures. They will bring the bait back to the colony to share, which will help destroy the colony.
Baits can be placed in an area where you have seen ant activity in the home, but do not place them directly on an ant trail; ants will avoid bait traps placed in this manner. Place a bait trap near areas of activity and in spots that are likely to attract ants. Try placing them near drains, in kitchen cabinets, under the stove and refrigerator, and anywhere there are wall openings, such as around pipes and wall outlets.
Sprays can be used indoors in a marijuana grow tent to supplement baiting; in the event that ants already have an established food supply indoors, they may ignore baits. It is best to use a non-repellent fire ant spray to keep the ants from detecting the spray, allowing them to walk through the treated areas and pick up the product on their bodies so they can transport it back to the colony. A non-repellent spray will usually not kill on contact and will take more time to begin killing ants, but it will ultimately be more devastating to the colony over the long term as it spreads and infects more ants.
Apply sprays, or other fire ant control, into crevices along baseboards and around all openings in the home such as windows, doors frames and patio sliders.
Final thoughts
Person placing containers of food on a shelf.
Ant infestations can be mitigated with the use of products, but treatment alone will only temporarily clear up the problem. To make sure ants don’t return, you must take preventative measures to support the effectiveness of your selected treatment methods.
Clean up outdoors. Regular and thorough outdoor maintenance can help keep ants at bay.
Keep indoor areas clean and food-free. Limiting ants’ access to food will encourage them to move out. This may require taking additional steps beyond your normal cleaning routine.
Eliminate standing water. Easily accessible water will encourage ants, so take steps to dry up any areas water may gather.
If you follow these guidelines, and keep up with preventative measures, you should be able to keep ants at bay. However, if the ant infestation gets worse, be sure to call a professional.
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