How to Get Rid of Fire Ants

Fire ants or fire ant nests appearing in your yard may be worrying, but there’s always a way to get rid of the ants in your lawn and keep the whole family safe! You can tackle an ant infestation by sprinkling ant bait, using an insecticide, treating your lawn, or hiring a professional exterminator. Fire ant identification is also an important step in avoiding ant stings and preventing ant infestation.

Table of Contents

Handling fire ants

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Sprinkle with bait to kill fire ants when they search for prey. Wait until evening or night during the summer months as this is the time when fire ants usually hunt for food. Place a small amount of ant bait next to each ant mound you find. ^{[1] X Research Source}

You can buy fire ant baits at garden supply stores.
The ants will eat the bait within 30 minutes.
The fire ant bait has a slow effect, so the queen is also destroyed.
The label on the product will indicate how much bait to use and where to place the bait most effectively.

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Use insecticides to kill fire ant nests 7-10 days after placing the baits. You sprinkle the medicine around the ant nest. Be sure to follow the instructions for safe use on the packaging. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Ant nest killer contains acephate, a slow-acting poison that will eventually kill the ants. The ants will eat the poison bait and bring it back to the queen, gradually the entire ant nest will be wiped out.
Ant nest killer will not work when wet, so choose a sunny day to handle the ant nest.
The insecticide is only effective when it is sprinkled around the ant nest. You will have to sprinkle around each ant nest.
You can buy insecticides at gardening centers.

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Use lawn treatments throughout the season for long-term pest control. Use a fertilizer spreader to spread the fire ant killer all over the lawn, trying to cover all areas. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

This solution works best if you have to deal with many large ant colonies.
Lawn treatments will usually get rid of fire ants throughout the season. You can buy the medicine at any garden supply store.
You need to use a fertilizer spreader to spread the medicine on the lawn, as this is very difficult to do by hand. If you don’t have a fertilizer spreader, you can rent one from nurseries. ^{[4] X Research Sources}
Some drugs are not harmful to native ant species. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

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Hire a professional pest extermination service if fire ants become a persistent problem. Contact a pest control company that specializes in the control of fire ants. Professionals have medications that are not widely available, and they are often more effective at treating persistent fire ant infestations. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Identify fire ants

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Distinguish fire ants from other ants. Fire ants are red or brown in color and vary in length (most other ants are about the same size). Fire ants have a length of 3-6.5 mm. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

In the United States, fire ants are found in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carpina, Oklahoma, South Carpina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

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Look for mounds of smooth dirt in the lawn. Lawn mounds are usually only a few centimeters tall, but in remote locations they can grow up to 45 centimeters. There are no holes on the surface of the mound. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Mounds usually appear most often after 2-3 days of heavy rain.
You have to be very careful not to disturb the ant nest while searching. Otherwise, the ants will swarm and climb up vertical surfaces to sting, like your leg.

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Treat fire ant stings immediately. Use your hand or a piece of cloth to vigorously brush the fire ants down. If symptoms include only pimples and pain, you can take over-the-counter medications to prevent infection. However, you need immediate medical attention if a fire ant sting causes severe swelling, shortness of breath, or chest pain. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Fire ants use their jaws to dig into the skin and you can’t get rid of them just by splashing them with water.

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Prevent fire ants from burning. If you suspect a fire ant infestation, wear boots and tuck your pants under your socks. Look at the ground as you walk and explain to the children the dangers of fire ants. ^{[10] X Research Source}

Look for foraging ants and nests.
Warn people when entering your property to be on the lookout for them.

Warning

Read the instructions and warnings on all medicinal products before use. Make sure medication is safe for children and pets if necessary.
Do not allow pets near ant nests.

Steps

Handling fire ants

Identify fire ants

Warning

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