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We did it: We made it through the long COVID winter. And now that spring of COVID has arrived, we are seeing some changes. It’s getting a little warmer outside, the spring flowers are starting to bloom and the fire ant season is just around the corner. Along with autumn, spring is the time when these tiny, pain-inducing pests are most active thanks to the warming of the soil.
If you are unfamiliar with fire ants or their work, consider yourself lucky. Not only do their bites sting like hell, but they can cause a wide variety of damage in and around your home. Here’s what you need to know about these unwanted houseguests and how to keep them from messing with you, your family, and your property.
What you should know about fire ant stings
Before we dive into protecting your home from fire ants, let’s talk about why you might want to keep these pests at bay. In short: fire ants sting. Repeated. According to resources of Texas A&M University– specially a special project carried out by fire ants – you can not mess with these pests. Indeed, they put it: “Fire ants are aggressive, attack anything that disturbs them defensively, and can sting repeatedly.”
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Fire ant stings usually experience burning, itching, and white pustules that form after a day or two – which can also become easily infected and leave permanent scars. But at least in most cases the stings are not life threatening. Even so, they are not your friendly cartoon ants who march individually and live on a diet of stolen picnic food. Fire ants mean business.
How to tell if you have fire ants
The biggest cue that you are dealing with fire ants is loud Texas A&M Resources. Although most fire ant mounts are a few inches tall, undisturbed mounds in pastures can grow up to 18 inches high and become more visible a few days after a heavy rain.
The mounds consist of fluffy, well-worked soil and – unlike most anthills – have no opening in the middle. Instead, fire ants come and go from the hill via underground tunnels, like some kind of natural star.
How to protect your home from fire ants
While there is no “ideal” part of your home for fire ant infestation, parts with electrical appliances are among the worst. Here is the reason according to Texas A & M:
They chew on the insulation and can cause short circuits or disrupt switching mechanisms. Air conditioners, traffic signal boxes and other devices can be damaged. Fire ants also nest in enclosures around electrical and utility units. The ants move the soil into these structures, causing short circuits and other mechanical problems.
Now that you know what to look for and why to avoid them, here are some steps you can take to keep fire ants out of your home:
Aim at the hill
Once you find a hill, one option is to destroy it. It is best to do this either early morning or early evening when fire ants are searching for food, David Price, Technical Director and Associate Certified Entomologist at Mosquito joe explained in a current interview with Realtor.com. From here, Price offers three different strategies:
- Soak the mound with several gallons of hot water or several gallons of insecticide.
- Apply dust or granular insecticide to the top of the mound, which will then be watered into the ground.
- Scatter poisoned bait around the mound for ants to bring back to the colony and poison their family, friends and colleagues. Price notes that this method is slower than the first two, but also more effective “because the workers feed the bait to the queen and brood and thus gain effective control of the colony.”
Eliminate standing water and other moisture
Fire ants love water, so fill in parts of your garden that may have a tendency to collect (and hold back) water. Also, fix any leaks in, on, or around your home as the fire ants will find and use them to get into wall cavities and roofs.
Don’t try them with your garden
If you have a beautiful garden and want to keep it that way, you need to keep fire ants away from it. In the same article about Realtor.com, Josh Matta, senior biologist and insect expert Spectrum brands offers a few ways to do this, including:
- Have trees and bushes pruned
- Keep straw and mulch away from your home
- Remove ripe fruit from trees and pick up any fallen fruit
Fire ants aren’t the type of insect you want in your yard. Per Matta:
Fire ants can wreak havoc in a garden. This can occur year-round and cause significant damage to soybeans, citrus fruits, corn, okra, beans, cabbage, cucumbers, eggplants, potatoes, sweet potatoes, peanuts, sorghum, sunflowers, and more.
Eliminate other food sources
In addition to keeping your yard tidy – and not allowing the ants to feed on your crops – Price recommends getting rid of other food sources like insects, earthworms, and spiders. At home, Price says fire ants will also “gather honeydew and food for candy, protein, and fats.”
Fill in any cracks or entry points in your house
Fire ants are tiny and can squeeze their way into your home pretty easily through just about any crack, hole, or gap. Price recommends mending holes and putting door sweepers on exterior doors and garage doors to keep them out.