All About Fire Ants: Beware!
By: Joanne Curley, Grayson County Master Gardener
There is no way of avoiding the periodic mounds that appear in your landscape beginning in early Spring. With only one true predator, the phorid fly, and minimal other possible predators, Fire Ants definitely present a challenge for Texans who spend any amount of time outdoors.
Fire Ants are not native to Texas or even North America. They arrived from South America in a port in Mobile, Alabama in 1918, and have been an ongoing pest ever since! 1 Colonies often have tens of thousands of ants in them, and when left untreated, colonies can get as large as 200,000. The mounds are filled below with tunnels that can extend as long as 25 feet. This is partly why they are so difficult to treat and eliminate. Many treatments kill many of the ants, but if the queen is not killed, the colony will simply repopulate.
1 Fire Ant Frequently Asked Questions. Texas Imported Fire Ant Research and Management Project
2 Welcome to Texas: Avoiding the Sting of Fire Ants, pg. 2. Wizzie Brown, Extension Program Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Services.
3 Fire Ant Control Methods Around Pets, pg. 4. Paul R. Nester Extension Program Specialist-Integrated Pest Management, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Services.
4 Welcome to Texas: Avoiding the Sting of Fire Ants, pg. 1 Wizzie Brown, Extension Program Specialist, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Services.
Fire Ants are attracted to open sunny areas.2 They tunnel deep or deeper to seek cooler temperatures and moisture down below when it gets hot and dry above ground. In doing so, they often go unnoticed. It isn’t until rain or hose/sprinkler water floods their tunnels that we see mounds appear, and by then, there could be a well-established colony underground. Common areas you might find colonies include sidewalks, gardens, landscaped areas, fields, and basically anywhere Fire Ants have adequate food and water sources.
Fire Ants attack any time the mound is disturbed. Children can become fascinated watching the movement of Fire Ants in action when the mound is disturbed and don’t realize the danger of being in such close proximity. Even pets are at risk of being attacked.3 Fire Ants rush out in great numbers, often from the holes on top of the mound. They use their jaws to cling to their victim and sting away, causing a burning sensation, localized swelling, itchiness, and later a pustule forms at the site where the victim was stung. Some people have greater sensitivity to the venom, and this causes greater amounts of swelling. Others have developed a more severe allergy that can cause life-threatening allergic reactions that need immediate attention.4
Cautions:
1. Be careful where you step! Sometimes the colony is difficult to detect because there is no mound, and you may find yourself standing right in a pile of Fire Ants. Oftentimes, you don’t even realize it until you feel the first sting.
2. Fence posts and trees: Fire Ants often have colonies at the base of both, and even sometimes up in the tree, so be careful where you lean, sit, or climb.
3. When camping, thoroughly scour the area you intend to set up your tent, sleeping bag, and near the campfire, walking over it to make sure there are no fire ant colonies underneath.
4. Fire Ants love oil-containing seeds, seed pods, and insects, both pests and beneficial insects.5 Gardens provide abundant moisture, rich organic soil, and a wide variety of foods for Fire Ants, so be careful when working in your garden beds.
5 Managing Fire Ants in Vegetable Gardens. Molly Keck Extension Programs Specialist II – Integrated Pest Management, Texas A&M Extension AgriLife Service.
6 Two-Step Method, Texas Imported Fire Ant Research and Management Project.
7 Fun Facts About Fire Ants, Gregory Pest Control Solutions
There are many options for controlling Fire Ants. Some suggest creating more shade in your yard as Fire Ants like open sunny areas. Others suggest using Purple Martin Houses as these birds seem to feed on Fire Ants. Armadillos, spiders, and horned lizards also reportedly feed on Fire Ants, although I am not so sure how many of those you might want to invite to your yard. Some mulches such as cedar bark mulches may discourage or even claim to repel Fire Ants. Mowing and disturbing the mound may cause Fire Ants to relocate; however, none of these methods are research-based or proven. Texas Imported Fire Ant Research and Management project has come up with a Two-Step process to manage Fire Ants in your yard. This is “currently the best-proven approach to effectively manage Fire Ants.”6
The Two-Step Method involves Baits as well as Individual Mound Treatments. The use of baits is a slower approach but 80-90% effective. It attracts the fire ant workers to the pesticide-covered grits, which they take to the queen, making her infertile or eliminating her completely. Once this happens, the colony will not continue to be viable. Individual Mound Treatments work more quickly but are less effective in the long term. This can include the use of chemicals, granules, or even organic methods such as flooding with boiling water or using Spinosa. Be sure to read the label on any chemical or granular method you use for safety in vegetable gardens and follow instructions for appropriate use in controlling Fire Ants.
The bottom line is that Fire Ants are simply a part of life in Texas. Simply being aware is the best way to stay safe. Let’s be realistic – Fire Ants will not be eliminated.
More Interesting Facts About Fire Ants:7
1. Queen Fire Ants live up to 7 years and lay between 800-1600 eggs per day. Queens never leave their nest.
2. Fire Ants are aggressive and have been known to invade beehives, completely killing all the bees and creating havoc in the hive. They also will attack anything they perceive to be a threat to their colony.
3. Fire Ants float. In floods, they have been known to create a giant floating mass and have also been known to form chains to cross short distances and transport the larvae out of flooded tunnels in their colony. They can lift 20 times their weight.
4. Most Fire Ants we see are females that are sterile worker ants. Their job is to maintain the colony and take care of the young.
5. Fire Ants sleep up to 9 hours a day and do not have ears. They have a life span of approximately 5 weeks.