Battling Fire Ants in Florida

While fire ants are small, they can pack a painful sting! These pests can quickly take over your yard with their unsightly mounds and if threatened they can become aggressive with their painful sting. Let’s review everything you need to know about preventing fire ants and ways you can deter them from your yard.

Understanding Fire Ants

Fire ants are reddish-brown with a dark abdomen. These ants can vary in size from 1/8 to 1/4 inch. Fire ants will often build their large, dome-shaped mounds in yards. These mounds can reach up to 18 inches in height. They will often build in areas that are open and sunny, such as lawns, pastures, and along roads. Fire ants are known to sting if provoked, causing allergic reactions to some. Fire ants will often enter our homes for a food source, such as fruits, insects, and oils from seeds.

Preventing Fire Ants from Your Yard

An effective method to prevent fire ants is placing some easy preventative measures throughout your property to deter them in the first place. Consider the following DIY fire ant prevention tips:

• Seal cracks and crevices to keep them out of your home
• Keep your yard well-maintained by regularly mowing the lawn, trimming bushes, and removing debris.
• Avoid over-watering your lawn, as fire ants are attracted to moist environments.
• If you’re eating food outdoors, make sure to clean up any food crumbs or drink spills.
• If you have fruit trees in your yard, make sure to remove any rotten fruit or fruit that has fallen on the ground.
• Repair any leaking faucets, hoses, or irrigation systems in your yard.

If you’ve spotted a fire ant mound in your yard or would like to start preventing them now, the best thing to do is call a professional pest control company near you for help. These experts will provide you with a thorough inspection, treatment plan to remove these pests, and recommendations on how you can prevent them from returning.