Aug 8, 2024 | DIY Pest Control, Fire Ant, Florida Pest Control
Living in Florida offers plenty of sunshine and beaches, but it also means dealing with fire ants. These pests thrive in our humid, warm environment, quickly taking over yards by creating mounds and delivering painful stings. Reducing and preventing fire ant activity is easier than you think. Let’s breakdown everything you need to know about fire ants.
Understanding Fire Ants
Fire ants are known for their painful stings and aggressive behavior if they feel threatened, often stinging multiple times. If stung, these pests will inject venom that causes a burning and itching sensation, and in some cases will cause allergic reactions.
Fire ants can vary in size, ranging from 1/8 to ¼ inch and have reddish-brownish bodies. You’ll often see fire ants building their large, dome-shaped mounds in areas that are open and sunny, such as lawns, pastures, and along roads. These mounds can reach up to 18 inches in height!
Preventing Fire Ants from Your Yard
Deterring fire ants away from your property is the first step to avoiding an infestation. Consider these DIY fire ant prevention tips:
- Keep your lawn maintained by mowing the grass and removing debris regularly to reduce fire ant activity.
- Avoid over-watering your lawn, as fire ants are attracted to moist environments.
- If you’re eating outdoors, make sure to clean up any food crumbs and drink spills as soon as possible.
- If you have fruit trees, 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.
- Consider applying insecticide barriers around the perimeter of your property to deter fire ants from entering.
If you’ve spotted one too many fire ant mounds on your property, call a pest control company near you. These experts will provide you with an inspection, fire ant control plan, and prevention tips to avoid an ant infestation in the future.
Apr 26, 2024 | DIY Pest Control, Fire Ant
Fire ants, with their fiery stings and relentless mounds, can quickly turn your yard into a battleground. For Georgia homeowners, dealing with these aggressive pests is an ongoing challenge. However, with the right strategies and tools, you can regain control of your outdoor space and enjoy it without fear of fire ant attacks. In this guide, we’ll explore the signs of fire ants, the dangers they pose, what to do if you’re bitten, and most importantly, how to effectively eliminate them from your yard.
Signs of Fire Ants
Identifying a fire ant infestation is crucial for prompt action. Look out for telltale signs such as:
- Visible Mounds: Colonies construct dome-shaped mounds, typically found in sunny areas like lawns and open fields.
- Aggressive Behavior: If you disturb a mound, you’ll quickly notice the workers swarming out to defend their territory. Their aggressive nature is a clear indicator of their presence.
- Stings: Fire ant stings are painful and often leave behind itchy, red bumps. If you or your pets experience multiple stings while outdoors, it’s likely that these ants are nearby.
Dangers of Fire Ants
Beyond their painful stings, fire ants pose several risks:
- Health Concerns: Fire ant stings can cause severe allergic reactions in some individuals, leading to symptoms like difficulty breathing, swelling, and dizziness. Those allergic to bee stings should be particularly cautious.
- Damage to Property: Fire ant mounds can disrupt the aesthetics of your yard and damage landscaping equipment. Moreover, their tunneling activities can undermine the soil structure, affecting plant roots and potentially causing structural issues.
What to Do if Bitten by a Fire Ant
If you or someone else is stung by a fire ant, follow these steps:
- Stay Calm: Although painful, most stings are not life-threatening. Panicking can worsen the reaction.
- Wash the Area: Clean the sting site with soap and water to reduce the risk of infection.
- Apply Cold Compress: Use a cold compress or ice pack wrapped in a cloth to alleviate swelling and discomfort.
- Monitor for Allergic Reactions: If the individual shows signs of a severe allergic reaction, such as difficulty breathing or swelling of the face and throat, seek immediate medical attention.
How to Get Rid of Fire Ants in Your Yard
Effective fire ant control requires a multi-faceted approach. Here are some strategies to consider:
- Fire Ant Baits: Utilize bait products specifically designed for fire ant control. These baits contain slow-acting toxins that are carried back to the colony, effectively eliminating the queen and other ants.
- Broadcast Granular Insecticides: Apply granular insecticides across your yard to target mounds and foraging ants. Follow product instructions carefully to ensure safe and effective application.
- Direct Treatment of Mounds: For visible fire ant mounds, apply insecticidal dust or liquid directly into the mound entrance. This method provides fast-acting control and reduces the risk of colony relocation.
- Regular Inspections: Conduct routine inspections of your yard to identify new fire ant activity and treat it promptly before it becomes a widespread infestation.
- Landscaping Modifications: Make your yard less hospitable to fire ants by removing debris, keeping vegetation trimmed, and minimizing moisture sources.
Preventive Measures
Once you’ve eradicated fire ants from your yard, take steps to prevent future infestations:
- Maintain Good Lawn Care: Healthy, well-maintained lawns are less attractive to fire ants. Regular mowing, watering, and fertilizing can help deter their presence.
- Create Barrier Treatments: Apply residual insecticides around the perimeter of your property to create a protective barrier against invading fire ants.
- Monitor Imported Materials: Inspect any soil, plants, or landscaping materials before introducing them to your yard to avoid inadvertently introducing fire ant colonies.
In conclusion, controlling fire ants in your Georgia yard requires diligence and a combination of tactics. By identifying signs of infestation, understanding the dangers they pose, and implementing effective control measures, you can reclaim your outdoor space from these troublesome pests. For fast-acting and reliable fire ant control, trust the expertise of a professional pest control company near you to safeguard your home and family.
Jun 27, 2022 | Fire Ant
Fire ants might be small, but they are mighty. They can leave a very painful and unwanted welt on your skin if they feel threatened. Don’t let them ruin your summer fun; read more and discover how you can avoid and prevent these pests.
Luckily fire ant mounds are usually easy to spot; so if you find one on your property, it’s best to take care of it as soon as possible. These pests are known for their fierce survival methods in harsh conditions. They can also find shelter in or near HVAC units and electrical boxes, so be aware when working in these areas of your home.
If they do find shelter in electrical boxes, it’s important to remove them as soon as you can, as they can cause damage to wire and equipment.
The best ways to keep these pests out of your yard for the summer is to:
- Seal cracks and crevices to keep them out of your home
- Keep food in sealed containers in your pantry
- Clean up outdoors and maintain your lawn often
- Eliminate standing water to keep large numbers of ants away
- If you spot a mound, get treatment immediately
If you need more support, reach out to your local pest control company. These professionals will provide you with a comprehensive fire ant control and prevention plan for fire ants and other summer pests.
Mar 9, 2022 | Fire Ant
Red Imported Fire Ants (RIFA) have been around for decades, originally coming from South America and first arriving in the U.S. somewhere between 1933 and 1945. They are commonly found in the southern states ranging from Texas to Florida. These pests can be aggravating and quite painful if they bite. It helps to know when they are most active and how to deal with them.
What Do They Look Like?
Red imported fire ants are similar in appearance to regular black ants but give off a dark reddish-brown color. They measure 1.6mm to 5mm in length.
When Are They Most Active?
Fire ants are known to search for food in warmer temperatures, especially in the range between 72°F and 96°F. They are mostly active during the summer and fall months but can emerge as early as March. Their mounds can be found in yards, stumps, rotting logs, and even around playgrounds. Fire ant mounds can house up to 200,000 individuals and can be up to two feet high and three feet across.
Are They a Threat?
Due to their habitat, they can be a threat to people who enjoy being outside. Although commonly referred to as a bite, they actually sting. Red ants are known to sting humans who disturb a mound. The sting of a red imported fire ant is painful, and the results of the sting are raised welts that can become a white pustule. Often a person will find that they have been stung multiple times by different ants. The biggest threat is if the person has an allergy to insect stings.
If you end up finding these nests or RIFAs roaming in your home, contact a professional local pest control company who can help set up a treatment and control plan for your home. Since RIFAs are known to have a very painful bite, it’s important to remove them as soon as possible.
Apr 20, 2020 | Fire Ant, Pest Control
If you’ve ever noticed dirt mounds throughout your yard, you might be assuming that they are just ant mounds. But, if you look closer, certain mounds could be home to a completely difference species. Digger bee mounds could easily be confused with ant mounds, but truthfully, the two species couldn’t be more different.
Digger Bees
Digger bees are ¼ to ½ inch long, and depending on their species can be dark, shiny metallic, often with yellow, white, or rust-colored markings. What’s unique about digger bees from other bees is they tend to build their nest about 6 inches deep under the ground. The adult female digger bees live in these mounds underground while the male digger bees dig to the surface of the soil creating a pathway for the females to emerge during springtime.
Digger bee mounds can usually be found in areas of your yard where the grass is sparse, such as a dry or shady area. They typically build their nests close together, creating a cluster of several small mounds.
Fire Ants
Fire ants can vary in different sizes but have a dark red body color that can range from reddish brown to reddish black, depending on their species. Fire ants do have a stinger and when used can give off a painful sting.
Fire ant mounds are usually raised where you can easily spot them in your yard. The mounds are also dome-shaped and can range from two- to four-square feet in size. Fire ant colonies can be found to have an average of 80,000 worker ants. They typically like to avoid darkness and shade; therefore, they will build their mounds in sunny areas of yards, rather than in shaded areas.
From above, you can see just how different these two species are and how different their habitat is. While digger bees like to build their mounds underground and in shaded areas, the fire ant can be seen building theirs visibly and in sunny areas of the yard. If you believe you have either of these pests in your yard, it’s best to contact a professional pest control company who can help identify and provide treatment plans.
