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Fire Ants

  • A large fire ant mound.

    Fire ant mounds are distinctive icons of one of the best known, and least loved, insects in the state.
     

  • Many fire ants foraging for food.

    Foraging fire ant workers establish trails to attractive food sources.
     

  • Two raised white pustules on skin due to a fire ant sting.

    Fire ant stings often result in raised white pustules at the site of the sting.  Because the sting is not barbed, fire ant workers can sting multiple times.

  • A man pouring granular bait into a red spreader on a green lawn.

    Use a handheld spreader to quickly and easily apply granular fire ant baits in home lawns and small commercial landscapes.
     

  • A man applying poison to a small fire ant mound in a green lawn.

    Dry mound treatments are a convenient, effective way to control individual fire ant mounds.
     

One of the cheapest, easiest, safest, and most effective ways to control fire ants in home lawns is to use a combination of granular fire ant baits and direct mound treatments.  This is often called the two step method of fire ant control.

  1. Apply granular baits two to four times per year by using a handheld seeder to spread the bait over the entire yard.  Don’t put these granules on top of the mounds; don’t even wait until you see mounds.  Just put the bait out.  Use the holidays: Easter, Independence Day, and Labor Day as reminders that it is time to apply fire ant bait.  Baits are slow-acting, but when used preventively, they will control most colonies before they grow into large, visible mounds.
  2. Keep a can of one of the dry fire ant mound treatments on hand to spot treat large mounds that the bait treatments miss.  Treatments containing acephate work fastest and best, but acephate does smell bad.  Treatments containing deltamethrin or cyfluthrin don’t smell bad, but they are also somewhat less effective and slower-acting.

This web site is divided into sub-sections that focus on different aspects of fire ants and fire ant control.  It begins with an introduction and brief overview that discusses when these non-native pests first arrived in the country and their current distribution.  Then there are sections on “How to Control Fire Ants” and “Tips on Using Fire Ant Baits Successfully.  If you just want to know the best ways to control fire ants, these are the best places to start. Other helpful topics include “Fire Ant Biology”, “Fire Ant Facts”, and “Fire Ant Sting.  

Where do you want to control fire ants?  Is it in your home lawn, in your home vegetable garden, in a pasture for dairy cows, an athletic field, a park, a cemetery or some other setting?  Although the general approach to fire ant control is similar in all cases, treatments and methods for fire ant control vary subtly, but importantly depending on the specific situation.  Be sure to see the sub-sections that focus on the specific situation(s) in which you need to control fire ants.  Finally, just for fun, check out the Fire Ant Blues music video. 

 

Fire Ant Basics

 

Fire Ant Specifics 

Where do you need to control fire ants?

 

More Information

 

Key Publications

 

Contact

Dr. Blake Layton, Extension Entomology Specialist
Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology
Mississippi State University Extension Service
Phone: (662) 325-2085
Email: blake.layton@msstate.edu

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Publications

Publication Number: P2494
Publication Number: P2429
Publication Number: P2733
Publication Number: P2493

News

The base of trees is covered by a fire ant mound.
May 1, 2024

Sunshine and long days make summertime in the South desirable for people, but those same conditions are exactly what allows the dreaded, imported fire ants to thrive.

Almost any sunny, grassy area left unattended will soon be home to fire ants. Fire ants were accidentally imported from South America to Mobile in the 1930s and have since spread throughout the Southeast.

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Related Material

Control Fire Ants
Fire Ant Biology
Fire Ant Control in Home Lawns
Control Fire Ants in and Around Home Vegetable Gardens
Fire Ant Control in Commercial Turf
Control In Pastures, Hayfields, and Barnyards
Fire Ant Control In Commercial Fruits, Nuts and Vegetables
Fire Ant Control In Commercial Sod and Nursery Stock
Indoor Fire Ant Invasions
Organic Fire Ant Control
Fire Ant Blues music video
Fire Ant Gallery

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