If you need to control fire ants, this afternoon (Tuesday) would be a good time. Tomorrow (Wednesday) probably won’t be. Today is warm and dry and fire ants are likely out foraging. Tomorrow will likely be cool and wet and fire ants will probably do what you will probably do – make every effort to stay indoors. But there will be other opportunities.
We don’t think it necessary or even practical for you to try to control every fire ant mound. Choose those on your property where human contact is likely and spend your energy on those. If I had a mound I needed to control today, I would open a bag of greasy potato chips or cheetos or some such oily fare and drop one or two about a foot or two away from the mound. Then give them about 30-45 minutes to find it. If they find the chip, there’s a good chance that they are foraging and could find a fire ant bait product if you substituted that. The chip is a cheap and easy way to see if the mound is active and is actively foraging. If they don’t find the chip, go back to your computer.
Incidentally, I once dropped the chip near the mound but also put one on top of the mound. They promptly found and fed on the chips 15 inches away and ignored (or never noticed?) the one on top of the mound. That tells me that placing fire ant baits on top of the mound is also not a useful strategy.
Fire ant baits are formulated on oily materials attractive to fire ants. They also include an insecticide that is usually less that 0.1% active ingredient. In the market place look for something clearly marked “bait.” You can choose organic or not; one is about as effective as the other. In fact product selection is not a major issue with fire ants. The products will work if-you-follow-the-directions! It’s strategy, not product that does the job. The one product issue that is essential for you is making sure the product is safe and legal to use on your site – lawns and vegetable gardens are different; lawn grass and pasture grass are different. Check the label carefully for site specific instructions.
The baits depend on the ants to take the product back into the nest and redistribute it throughout the mound and make sure everyone has a chance to get some. The strategy is slow to allow time for this redistribution. It will not be fast. The advantage of slow is that everyone gets some and everyone gradually dies. There are other products faster than baits, but they usually miss the ants that are not in the nest or even in the egg stage. Survivors often start a new mound. With fire ant control, baits are slower and more thorough.
So if you have a mound that needs to be controlled, pick a warm (not hot) dry and sunny afternoon. Baits must be kept fresh and free of moisture. Do not use on damp days. Keep your baits in air tight storage, and use fresh bait. Use the potato chip test. If it is positive, then bring on the bait. Then give it several weeks to work.
Fall is a good time to control all the small new mounds showing up. Mounds controlled now will not likely produce a new queen to start a new mound next year.
One more thing … all the native ants out there are your best natural control for fire ants. By defending their territory, they keep many mated queens from establishing a new mound. Avoid wide spectrum treatments that kill off all the ants. Target the problems only.
alcooke
Al Cooke
Extension Agent, Horticulture
Chatham County Center
N.C. Cooperative Extension
PO Box 279, Pittsboro, NC 27312
919.542-8202; Fax 919.542.8246
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/chatham/staff/acooke/home.html