All About Fire Ants

Here in Florida, we have two types of fire ants, the uncommon native or tropical fire ant and the red imported fire ant. The latter of the two is much more common and known to be aggressive and a challenge to control once settled in an area, as its colonies can extend over multiple properties. It’s estimated that nearly $7 billion is spent a year in the United States on controlling these pests, and almost $5 billion is spent on medical expenses treating bites from red imported fire ants. Aside from monetary costs, these insects also pose a threat to us, as their bites can be painful and even deadly in some instances. They also target small animals and disrupt local ecosystems by feeding on other creatures that are beneficial to the environment. Knowing the warning signs of an infestation as well as how to prevent one is crucial to not allow a small annoyance to become a major problem.

Warning Signs and Identification

The last thing you’d want is the first sign of a fire ant infestation in your home or yard to be a series of stings and bites on your legs. This is why it’s important you learn to identify fire ants to prevent an infestation or have the right information to curb an existing problem. Fire ants are known to build sandy earthen mounds, sometimes reaching up to 18 inches in height, that are most visible after rainfall. Fire ant mounds do not look like other ant mounds, as they don’t typically feature a hole in the middle of the mound. They instead build a colony in the mound but enter it via a series of tunnels with entrances elsewhere in the surrounding area. One way to identify a red ant mound is to open up the mound using a shovel and look for tiny white objects. These are the larvae, eggs, and pupae of the red ants that live their earliest stages of life inside the mound until they are grown enough to begin infesting the surrounding area. Unfortunately, a common way that fire ants are identified is through their bites, which cause a burning sensation and the signature round pustules that develop on the skin due to fire ant venom. If you’ve been bitten or stung by a fire ant, leave the immediate area and brush off any lingering fire ants. Then, clean any bitten areas with soap and water and disinfect any stings and bites with alcohol. You can then use solutions like calamine lotion and/or antihistamines. It may be tempting to scratch the bumps left behind after fire ants have stung you, but irritating them can lead to infection, so leave them alone. If you believe you or someone you know is having a serious allergic reaction to fire ant stings, call 911 immediately. While rare, allergic reactions to fire ant stings can be deadly, so it’s important you act quickly if someone is showing signs of a serious reaction.

As for the physical characteristics to look for in fire ants, the first thing to remember is that fire ants are very small, typically only 1/8” to ¼” in length. One quick way to tell if the ants you are dealing with are imported fire ants is to look for a variance in size amongst the ants, which is a trademark of the species while members of other ant species are most often uniform in size. Fire ants range from reddish brown to reddish black in color and have a noticeable stinger.

Removal

Seeing ants indoors can be stressful at the time, but using solutions like ant bait on ants indoors can help remove outdoor infestations as well because ants will bring the bait back to their colony helping to eradicate the issue from the source. It’s best to use ant baits in areas where you have noticed ant activity but not directly in the path ants have traveled. Spots like kitchen cabinets, drains, and under appliances are great spots for ant bait to be utilized. If the ants have started going to and from a source of food, a non-repellant fire ant spray can be useful, as ants will be unable to detect it and walk through it on the way to and from the food, carrying the product on their bodies back to their colony where it will spread and infect the ants at the root of the problem. Pay close attention to any instructions or cautionary advice on any products you use to determine the best place to use them to keep you and your family safe. If you’d like a more natural solution, you can spray white vinegar on a trail of ants to kill them and eliminate their scent trails, making it harder for the other ants to find their way back to food sources in your home.

Treating fire ant infestations outside comes with its own set of challenges, but luckily there are plenty of products that can help rid your yard of the unwanted pests. One commonly used product is ant bait, which comes in granular form and either works to kill the ants immediately or prevent the ants from reproducing depending on the variety of bait. Whichever type you choose, you’ll want to keep pets and children away from the infested areas while the products are at work. For smaller infestations, you can focus on just applying the ant bait to the mounds. For medium and larger infestations, you may need to spread the bait around your yard using a spreader to see any real results. It’s best to apply ant bait on dry days when no watering will be done and there is no rain in the forecast for at least 48 hours. Another option is fire ant insecticide in solutions meant for drenching colonies. You mix together the solution according to the instructions on the package, create a hole in the mound, and pour the solution into the mound. Liquid drenches can kill a colony within a few hours and prove very effective in treating localized areas. There are also granule drench products that are utilized similarly except no solution needs to be mixed; you just pour the granules into the hole you’ve made in the mound and then pour water over them. Surface dust products that do not require water exist as well. However, they leave surface residue, which is something you don’t have to deal with when using a drench product. There may not be a one-size-fits-all method to treating an infestation, and you may have to try out different methods until something works for you. The most important thing to remember is to make sure you are approaching the situation safely and only act according to any instructions on whatever product(s) you choose. Don’t hesitate to call a professional if the situation is getting out of hand.

Prevention

If you have noticed fire ants in your yard without a visible mound nearby, it’s possible they are simply foraging for food, especially if you have a garden. If you see fire ants foraging in your yard, it’s best to act now to prevent them from becoming a presence in your yard. Even if you haven’t noticed any fire ants, it can still be worth it to use preventative measures, especially if you know that fire ant mounds are common in your neighborhood. One way to safely prevent fire ants from moving into your yard is creating a perimeter around the area you’d like to protect using granules or sprays like diazinon or chlorpyrifos. These products are not rated to be used directly near things like growing vegetables, so make sure that you’re keeping them at a distance from any produce you are growing. That is one of the reasons why the perimeter method is recommended. This method could even help out a neighbor dealing with an infestation, as the ants will take any bait/spray product back to their colony from your yard helping to destroy it in the process.

Red imported fire ants can be a nuisance to control and prevent, but even the worst infestations can be remedied using insecticide products or by seeking professional help. If the problem isn’t getting any better over time or is getting worse, professionals are always there to help. Whichever solution you use, make sure you are proceeding with caution, and be mindful of areas you have treated to make sure that you aren’t harming children or pets. If you have neighbors who you believe may have an infested yard as well, consult them before beginning treatment in your own yard, as it is always more effective to treat a wider area to get to the root of the problem.