Fire ants are not just red ants with an attitude; they are highly efficient and aggressive in the way they move and survive. When you try to get rid of them in your yard, it may seem that they don't die but rather just pack up and move their mound somewhere else. Finding out what actually works may take time and patience. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Check to see if your ants are really fire ants. There are several strains and substrains of fire ants. The imported strains are the ones that bite or sting in masses.
2. Make the ant problem a group project. If you have ants, chances are your neighbors have them too. Trying to get rid of them in one yard may mean pushing them into another yard, and this process may go back and forth. To get rid them for good, you must not just move them but exterminate them.
3. Find granular bait that you and your neighbors can agree on. Read labels carefully to be sure you are treating for fire ants and not other insects. These granular chemicals do not kill the ants instantly. The ants mistakenly pick up the poison, thinking it is food, and take it back to the nest, where it stops the nesting process of the queens.
4. Spread the bait with a broadcaster in each yard on the same day or within a few days. Be sure to treat under bushes and trees so the ants can't pop up there. This stops the ants from just moving to another area. All the areas they will try to move to will be filled with the poison granules they think are food.
5. Keep an eye on your yard and treat new mounds with the granules. Be sure to read warnings and the care label on the packaging. Too much of any poison in your yard is not good. Boiling water will also work on small mounds that pop up after a heavy rain.
6. Fighting the ants before the weather gets too warm gives relief from fire ants for long periods. Because the granules are left on the ground, the process continues.
Tags: your yard, fire ants, fire ants, your neighbors