Put Out The Fire: The Secret To Controlling Fire Ants
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"Fire ant" is the name given to several species of ants in the genus Solenopsis. These appropiately named pests are red ants that produce a fiery sting and are most commonly found in the Southeast and Southcentral regions of the United States.
For those with an allergy to fire ants, or young children who are more susceptible to stumbling upon a nest of these pests, their sting is a major concern, but not the only threat they pose. In addition, fire ants have a negative impact on livestock and wildlife, as well as plant, sod and landscaping. It’s in a homeowner's best interest to control these ants, but how do we accomplish this?
A good question…and, of course, your neighborhood lawn, tree and pest professionals at Spring Green, have the answers you need to rid your yard of these pesky, fiery ants!
Fire Ants Be Gone! Tips To Control Fire Ants Once And For All
Would you know a fire ant mound if you saw one?
The fire ant will build its mound almost anywhere in any type of soil. Most typically, you’ll find the mound in open, sunny areas, or even under buildings or rotting logs and tree stumps. Unlike other types of ant mounds, the fire ant mound has no opening in the center, as the fire ant enters and exits its mound via underground tunnels.
Oftentimes, red ant mounds are mistaken for innocent mounds of dirt, until the agitated ants come out stinging because they’ve been disturbed. A single fire ant mound can contain upwards of 500,000 fire ants. By the time you discover a fire ant mound above ground, it's possible its population has been slowly growing underground for a matter of months.
How to prevent fire ants from coming to your lawn
Because fire ants are extremely common in the Southern areas of the United States, a preventative measure is a good idea. The “broadcasting method” of fire ant control is highly recommended.
Broadcasting, put simply, is treating an area with fire ant bait a couple times a year during the warm months to keep these insects from finding a home in your lawn. Broadcasting can prevent around 80% of fire ant infestation.
How to get rid of fire ants once they’ve arrived
If you have a fire ant infestation, your burning question is most likely, “Help, how do I get rid of fire ants?” Like most things, timing matters, and fire ant control is no exception. Full-yard and fire ant mound treatments are best applied during early morning and early evening. These times of the day are optimal because fire ants are out searching for food and traveling back to the mound to feed their colony’s queens.
When are fire ants most common?
Understanding the patterns of these pesky insects' activity helps aid the planning of preventative measures, which are always the most effective ways to control fire ants. During spring and fall, when the soil and weather is warm, these insects are most active and closest to the surface of your lawn.
The best way to control fire ants is through understanding of where to find them, when to find them and how to prevent them. If you are one of the unlucky who gets an infestation of fire ants, you’ll want to be in-the-know on how to get rid of them! No worries, however, your local Spring Green professional is only a phone call away.
Controlling fire ants is often a larger task than a home or business owner can successfully tackle on their own. Spring Green has the experience, expertise and dedication to customer service needed to keep these pesky ants at bay all year-round.
Our team will work hard to:
- Manage activity and reduce foraging
- Reduce risk of painful stings when mound is disrupted
- Remove unsightly mound construction in lawn