Fire Ant Prevention

​Fire ants are seriously aggravating pests. Aside from the regular annoyances that come with other kinds of ants, fire ants pack a painful bite that itches for days. Kids and pets often end up covered with these pesky insects after disturbing the colony's mound. Any damage to the mound results in hundreds or thousands of soldier ants rushing out to defend the colony. A hand, foot, or a pet's paw accidentally going into a fire ant mound for just a second will come out swarmed. Not to mention, those mounds they create stick out like a sore thumb. Even if you avoid disturbing any of them, the mounds are an eyesore rising out above the grass on your lawn. Thankfully there are ways you can control and reduce the number of fire ants on your property though. But first, it's important to understand that totally ridding a property of fire ants forever is an unrealistic goal, especially if the area has been a long-time habitat for them. You can definitely put a large dent in their numbers and make a very noticeable difference. Once you reduce the total population in your yard, long-term control becomes manageable. Keep reading to learn what you can do to combat fire ants in your yard!

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Prevention

​Fire ants have the basic needs of any living creature which they require in order to survive and establish themselves:

1. Water
2. Food
3. Safe shelter

​Reducing their access to these basic needs will discourage fire ants from moving in. You can make your property a significantly less attractive location for fire ants to colonize by doing these basic yard care tasks on a regular basis:

• Trim back trees and shrubs so that the branches and foliage do not touch your home to prevent Fire ants from using them to avoid pesticide applications
• Rake back mulch, pine straw or other landscape bedding at least 6 inches from structures, such as homes or sheds, to create a "dry zone" that Fire ants are likely to avoid.
• Turn mulch or other bedding material over every couple of weeks to keep moisture retention low and discourage nest building.
• Mow grass as needed to keep growth low.
• Remove grass clippings, leaf piles, and stacked wood to eliminate Fire ant harborages.
• Remove ripened fruit from trees and off of the ground around fruit-bearing trees.
• Store outdoor trash cans and dumpsters as far away from structures as possible and be sure they have tight-fitting lids.
• Thoroughly wash out trash cans and dumpsters, preferably with an ammonia solution when needed.
• Have your lawn treated for fire ants regularly

​You can prevent the formation of new colonies by eliminating a new fire ant mound as soon as it is spotted. Use powder or liquid poison baits to kill the colony. Be sure to destroy mounds once the ants are all dead. It's worth mentioning that flooding a fire ant mound is not an effective way to kill the colony. Fire ants, which originated from wet, flood prone environments such as rainforests, are very capable of surviving in water. In fact, during heavy floods, the entire colony masses together on top of the water, forming a living island of ants all holding on to each other. 

Treatment

​To treat active fire ants, you can apply poisons directly to the mounds. For widespread fire ant infestations, you might want to consider using a broadcast bait to spread over a wide area. Be sure that the fire ants are actively foraging for food when using broadcast bait, otherwise the bait will just be wasted. You can see if the fire ants are foraging by placing snack food, such as a few potato chips, on the ground close to a mound. Do NOT disturb the mound or place the food directly on the mound when doing this. Wait two hours then return. If you find ants on the food, they are foraging. Spread the bait immediately so they will collect it too.

Professional Treatments

Professional companies can apply treatments which you can't just go and buy at the hardware store. Our company offers treatments which can control fire ants for up to 12 months with a single treatment application. Our spray program manager, Bryce Kirkpatrick, explains more in the video below.

Fire ant control is now included in our premium turf program option. Check out our treatment options on our turf services page. If you are interested in having your lawn treated, contact us today and get the ball rolling!

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