During hot, dry weather fire ants tend to maintain their colonies below ground—to take advantage of cool, moist conditions. Joey Williamson ©2010 HGIC, Clemson Extension A vegetable garden that is frequently tilled may have fewer fire ant mounds because tilling disturbs the fire ants and causes them to move. Worker ants take the bait back to the colony, where it is shared with the queen, which then either dies or becomes infertile. For more details on fire ant characteristics, check out eXtension’s Identifying Fire Ants guide.. Related Fire ants can’t be eliminated entirely because it’s not possible to treat all areas that are infested. Do not cut and bale hay from pastures and rangeland until 7 days after the bait application is made. Understand fire ant biology and you will understand why baits work so well to control fire ants and why it’s important to spread bait throughout the yard, rather than just putting it directly on top of the mound. If fire ant baits are applied during the spring and fall to the lawn area surrounding the garden, this may significantly control fire ants within the garden site (see HGIC 2501, Fire Ant Management in the Home Lawn). The red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, the black imported fire ant, Solenopsis richteri Forel, and their hybrid are nuisance insects and their stings can cause serious medical problems. Because successful fire ant management techniques and products differ across localities, be sure to speak with your county’s Extension agent for management tips and questions.

Images linked below are used in the animated photos of a person's finger after a fire ant sting: Stinging photo: A worker female fire ant in the act of stinging a human thumb. Baits are slow-acting and require weeks to months to achieve 80% to 90% control. Baits currently available include Amdro, Siege, Logic, Award, Ascend, or Raid Fire Ant Killer. Amdro Pro (0.73% hydramethylnon) – May be applied to grass forage (pasture and rangeland) for the control of fire ants in some southern states. Fire ant mound in mulched area of vegetable garden. Agent Resources; Imported Fire Ants. If you want to control fire ants, it helps to know a little about their biology. Extension Agents. Extensive chewing and tunneling damage on hemp caused by fire ants. Fig 2. Fire ant baits consist of pesticides on processed corn grits coated with soybean oil.

You will also understand why it’s so frustrating and ineffective to try to control These classifications are frequently ordered by hierarchy, a successive series of categories. Fig 3. Companion application is temporary Windows only, version for other systems is under development. Among others, these are the reasons University of Georgia entomologists say that now is the perfect time to treat for them.

Dry mound treatments are a convenient, effective way to control individual fire ant mounds. Previous. Next. As the name would imply, adult red imported fire ants can be identified by their reddish-brown coloration and shiny, dark abdomens. Figure 1 (seen above) shows wilting and collapse of hemp plants caused by fire ant feeding at the base of plant. Faster acting bait products include indoxacarb (works in 3-10 days), hydramethylnon (works in 7-14 days for mound treatments and in 2-3 weeks when broadcast), and spinosad (works in several weeks).