You will need to mix the chemical as directed and then water it into the mound with the correct amount of water. This is done according to application directions on the product label. Next, use a mound drench to finish off the colony.

Keep baits closed up tight, out of the sun, and out of reach of children. A word about baits, they are just that, bait! If you allow it to sit out in the hot sun before application, it is going to lose much of its appeal to the ants. Two to three applications, spaced 5-7 days apart, will provide great results. In this method, baits are placed around the mound, foragers carry the bait back to the mound, and begin to kill the queen and larvae. The best course of action is a two-step method, using both baits and mound drenches to treat individual mounds. When we kill beneficial insects, we usually create a bigger problem than we started with. Always remember that beneficial insects can be killed too. Individual mound treatment is always the best to ensure off-target species are not killed. There are baits, mound drenches, and broadcast insecticides available. Mowing your lawn frequently, and at the right height, has been shown to deter fire ant establishment in turf. Trim shrubs around your home or office to keep the ants from using them as a bridge to get across treated areas. Keep the area around the trash cans clean. Make an effort not to leave cans with trash, especially food, overnight. Outdoor trash cans around our homes, public places, and even schools, should be emptied frequently during the day. We can mitigate the abundance of fire ants by controlling the amount of forage we leave behind. We come into contact with fire ants, like many undesirable pests, while they are foraging. So, what can you do in your yard? The first line of defense is always cultural control, that is to say, management activities that we can control. I have four beautiful children, the mix of fire ants and children in the yard simply does not work! Our grass had really grown while we were on vacation this past week and we needed to rake a little, this allowed the ants to tear us up.ĭuring these warm, typically, dryer months of the year, fire ants are prolific. Going out this past weekend to work on the yard, I noticed several new fire ant mounds that were not there last Saturday.

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