Treating For Fire Ants
Fire Ant Treatment
[ Fire Ant Identification | Inspecting For Fire Ants | Treating For Fire Ants | Preventing Fire Ants ]Getting Rid of Fire Ants
Baiting
Baits work the best when they are broadcast over the infested areas using a spreader. It can take about 3 weeks or so to see any results from the broadcast application. The fire ants must be actively foraging for the baits to be effective. Rain will degrade most baits rendering them not very effective.
Baiting Fire Ants
There are many fire ants baits to choose from. Some have only one active ingredient in the bait, normally an insecticide or an insect growth regulator (IGR). These will work well when you have a small to medium infestation. Different Fire ant baits will contain both an insecticide and an insect growth regulator and these are strongly advised if you have a medium to large infestation. to deal with.
*An insect growth regulator (IGR) acts as a birth control for the fire ants. The addition of an insect growth regulator will help stop the reproduction cycle of the Fire ants while being treated.
Fire ant bait products give you treatments options for outdoor use, baiting the individual ant mounds, or broadcast spreading the bait. It is any more effective to broadcast the bait over just the infested areas. Other times, there may be times where broadcasting the bait is not possible because of having bodies of water, or edible vegetable gardens too close to the Fire ant mounds.
It is recommended to only apply Fire ant baits to dry ground and to be sure there is no watering planned or rain expected for at least 48 hours. If it is extremely hot out, wait until late in the evening when it is cooler and the ants are out foraging for food.
Broadcast bait application:
Apply any granular Fire ant bait to the infested areas as instructed by the product label. When the bait is applied, colonies should be left undisturbed for a few days to allow foragers opportunity to bring the bait to the nest.
Mound Baiting:
Apply the selected Fire ant bait around the mound, being cautious to not apply directly onto the mound itself, using the amount instructed on the product label. When the bait is applied, colonies should be left undisturbed for days to allow foragers opportunity to bring the bait to the nest.