Why Fire Ants Spread Quickly on Farms and Open Land

Fire ants thrive on farms, ranches and large acreage all across Florida and the Southeast. Established colonies can spread quickly over open land and cause serious ongoing problems for property owners, ranchers and farmers. That’s why we’ve put together this guide about why fire ants spread quickly on farms and open land.

Typical residential lots are small and offer limited space for colonies to spread. However, open land such as farms and acreage offer virtually limitless room for expansion. Fire ants love warm weather, sunshine, loose soil, and plenty of moisture. Any area that has these conditions and isn’t regularly treated will likely become susceptible to a serious infestation.

Property owners with acreage, pastures, crop fields, or undeveloped land might be shocked at how quickly fire ants can multiply and spread across the property.

By the time land owners start seeing mounds throughout their land, the infestation is likely much worse underground.

Open Land Creates Ideal Conditions for Fire Ant Invasion

Fire ants love warm sunny areas with open ventilation and loose dirt. Properties with farms, grazing pastures, crop fields, or areas with undeveloped land are more likely to give fire ants everything they want and need to truly thrive.

Areas commonly found with fire ant activity include:

• Grazing pasture
• Fence lines
• Hay fields
• Crop fields
• Irrigation areas
• Barns and surrounding areas
• Equipment storage areas
• Retention ponds

Fire Ant Colonies Breed Like Crazy

Not only do fire ants love living on farms and open land, their natural nesting habits allow them to spread like wild-fire.

A single fire ant colony can have hundreds of thousands of ants working together. In addition, queen ants can produce massive amounts of offspring on a daily basis. Some fire ant colonies will even have multiple queens which allows the colony’s population to grow at an even faster rate.

As fire ant colonies grow and develop, they will often branch off of the main colony and start new colonies in other areas nearby. Once a single colony grows large enough, it will start creating clusters of mounds all over your property. Instead of one mound in your yard, you might suddenly have 10 or more popping up everywhere.

Fire Ants Aren’t Just a Nuisance on Farms

Fire ants aren’t just annoying, they can cause serious issues for farms and property owners.

The pests will:

• Sting Livestock
• Pose a threat to working adults
• Kill electrical equipment
• Cause hassle when mowing outdoor areas
• Infest grazing areas
• Sting and kill young animals
• Interrupt outdoor work

Horses, cows, goats, and other livestock will often run into fire ant mounds while grazing in pastures. Young or smaller animals are at the greatest risk for injury because they often can’t fend off repeated fire ant stings

Professional Fire Ant Control on Farms

Taking care of fire ants on a farm or acreage isn’t as simple as residential pest control. Florida weather, large properties, open land, and even livestock all play a factor in treatment.

At Fire Ant Specialists, we craft our fire ant control programs for farms and open land to cover as much area as possible. Frequent and consistent treatment plans are the key to stopping fire ants from spreading. Our preventative services and treatment programs are designed to help you get control of your fire ant problem while keeping them from spreading in future. We strive to reduce the overall activity while helping prevent them from spreading to nearby areas.

Understanding why fire ants spread quickly on farms and open land is key to stopping your infestation. Call Fire Ant Specialists today at 352-291-2687 or contact us online to find out how we can custom tailor our fire ant treatment solutions to your farm or acreage in Florida.