![]() Natural methods for fire ant control help avoid the use of synthetic pesticides. Photo Credit: Alabama Extension / Flickr / CC0 1.0 Foraging ants will feed the toxic bait to the queen, while drenches, injections, surface dust, and hot water aren’t always guaranteed to reach the queen. Although slow-acting, this spot-treatment is the most effective against the queen. Baits: Baits can be used as a broadcast treatment and spot treatment.Mound injections are often more expensive but more effective than mound drenches. Mound injections: This fire ant treatment is just as it sounds – insecticides are injected into the mound instead of drenched.Remember to read and follow all labeled instructions, as you may need to mix some mound drenches with water. Mound drench: Pour a toxic liquid onto the ant mound.Surface dust: Sprinkle a dust insecticide over the mound’s surface and water it into the ground.This step intends to destroy as much of the colony as possible and, if you’re lucky, the queen. ![]() The next step is to locate and directly target the anthills with a chemical treatment (or hot water, if you want to keep it eco-friendly). Organic insecticides are also available in stores. Products containing hydramethylnon or sulfluramid can offer effective control. Use a bait insecticide labeled for fire ant control.Always read and follow the insecticide’s directions to determine when and how to apply it.Apply the bait in the late afternoon or evening when ants are foraging for food.Apply the bait when the ground is dry, and rain isn’t expected for 48 hours.Use fresh bait from an unopened container.Here are some tips to keep in mind when applying bait insecticide: The bait can prevent a small colony from turning into a large army of fire ants. Even when you don’t see large fire ant mounds in your yard just yet, it’s still good to apply the insecticide as a preventative measure. When she consumes it, she’ll either perish or become sterile.īut you’ll need to be patient because baits are slow-acting, and it can take weeks to months to gain 80% to 90% control.īroadcast granular bait insecticide over the entire lawn one to two times per year. When you apply a bait insecticide to your lawn, foraging ants will bring the bait back to the queen as food. It’s the queen ant you need to target if you want to take down a fire ant colony. Squashing foraging fire ants won’t do much good to control an infestation. To remove fire ants from your yard, follow this two-step process: Apply an ant bait insecticide across the yard and then perform spot-treatments on the mounds. They have a knack for reinfesting lawns, sometimes as soon as one month after treatment. If reddish-black ants explode from the ground when their mound is touched, they are likely fire ants.Īlthough it’s possible to get rid of fire ants, there is some bad news: It’s not possible to eliminate fire ants permanently. When your lawn has piles of sand-like, fluffy soil, it might have become a home to fire ants. Main Image Credit: Judy Gallagher / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
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