Controlling Fire Ants

Controlling fire ants sounds a lot easier than it actually is. Trying to do this on your own will be a futile battle. You absolutely need the assistance of Fire Ant Specialists.

With more than 30 years of experience, we partner with sister companies to treat up to 1,000 acres a day. No job is too big or too small. Eliminating red imported fire ants is our goal. They have been harassing the southeastern U.S. for nearly 100 years.

Solenopsis invicta, the red imported fire ant, arrived here in the 1930s and has spread to every consistently warm and humid location throughout the continental U.S. And since their colonies can be hundreds of thousands of members strong, they are no easy enemy to conquer.

Fire Ant 101

Red imported fire ants breed midair. It is only the flying ones that are capable of doing so. Once this occurs, the males’ lives are pretty much over. They die shortly after. The female, on the other hand, is now full of enough sperm to produce fertilized eggs for the next two to six years.

She lands on the ground, rips off her own wings, and then begins the search for the perfect place to dig her colony. These colonies can go 30 feet underground.

The queen will produce up to 1,000 eggs every day. Her workers can live four to six weeks. They will feed her and care for her young. She will never leave her colony again. And she is the prime target if you want to control fire ants.

Fire ants are not desirable on your property because they bite and sting. Their toxin, for some people and animals, is deadly. Most of us will only get small pustules at the sting location. These will heal on their own as long as they are left alone.

But who wants to take the risk of having someone allergic to them being injured on their property? This is why it is important to give Fire Ant Specialists a call as soon as you notice the presence of fire ants.

Proper Protocol

Sure, there are tons of articles and videos about how to eliminate these creatures on your own. And we totally understand why people would prefer to attempt these measures. Unfortunately, most of them are completely inadequate.

Pouring boiling water or vinegar on the mound will kill some of those surface-level worker ants. But the queen, who is buried deep below, won’t be fazed.

Feeding them grits is exactly that—feeding them. The grits don’t expand and blow them up as many people have been told.

Diatomaceous earth is effective on the ground for killing the ones that walk through it. But, like the other methods, it will never reach the queen.

You need a bait that will entice the workers to hand-deliver it to her. That’s the kind of product we use at Fire Ant Specialists. Our baits are slow-acting and sterilize her. This puts an end to her reign and their existence.

So if you need help controlling fire ants, Fire Ant Specialists is here for you. Give us a call at 352-291-2687 or click here.