FIRE ANTS

FIRE ANT REMEDY

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Both Native and Imported fire ants can sting. The Imported Fire ants are very aggressive,
their sting can cause reactions anywhere from an irritation and nausea to even more severe reactions in humans.
They have been known to repeatedly attack animals that may intrude on their nests.

The red imported fire ant is particularly aggressive.
They are known to attack people, plants, and animals,
as well as cause damage to homes, buildings,
and air- conditioning units,telephone wires.

There are two kinds of red imported fire ants;
the single queen and multiple queen forms.
Workers in single queen colonies are territorial,foraging within their territory.
Workers from multiple queen colonies are not territorial,they freely
move from one mound to another, which has resulted in a dramatic increase
in the number of mounds per acre. Areas infested with single queen colonies
contain 40 to 150 mounds per acre (rarely more than 7 million ants per acre).
In areas with multiple queen colonies, there may be 200 or more mounds and
40 million ants per acre.

The red imported fire ant builds mounds in almost any type of soil,
but prefers open, sunny areas such as pastures, parks, lawns, meadows and cultivated fields.
Mounds can reach 18 inches in height, depending on the type of soil.
Many times mounds are located in rotting logs and around stumps and trees.
Colonies also can occur in or under buildings.
When their mounds are disturbed, their workers will come out of the ground and sting
the intruder very aggressively.
The red imported ant can have huge colonies with 300-500,000 workers
foraging at distances of 100 yards.

Their usual activity is from the spring time through the fall months.
During the spring and summer months, the active mounds will send out winged swarmer ants,
whose sole job is start new colonies.
Sometimes the red imported fire ant will nest inside during
the winter months under the bathtubs (when on a slab), or next to hot water
heater. The southern fire ant will usually nest in loose soil, but at times
they can be found in woodwork or masonry. Their nest may be seen as large
crevices in the ground that spread out from 2-4 feet.
Their nest can be found under houses, under boards or stones, or in cracks in the concrete.

Colonies frequently migrate from one site to another.
The queen needs only a few workers to start a new colony.
They can develop a new mound several hundred feed away
from their previous location almost overnight.
Flooding causes colonies to leave their mounds and float until they can reach
land to establish a new mound.
Colonies also can migrate to indoor locations.

APPEARANCE:

Fire ants are reddish to black in color and are about 1/8 inch long.

IDENTIFICATION: Imported fire ant

Imported fire ants have the the following characteristics:

 

• Mounds of loose soil, resembling gopher diggings,
  are found above ground.
• Mounds are generally numerous and easily sighted.


• Worker ants are dark, small, highly variable in size,
  aggressive, and sting relentlessly.


• Workers have the same body proportions from the tiniest to the largest.
  Head width never exceeds the abdomen width,


even in the largest workers.

REPRODUCTION:

Total time from egg to adult averages 30 days,workers live up to 180 days,
and queens live two to six years.

DIET

The imported fire ant will not only forage for food ,such as small
insects dead animals, and sweet materials such as plant secretions but will
kill insects and small animals to feed . The southern fire ant go for a variety
of foods including protein, greases and sweet foods.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS AND TREATMENT FOR FIRE ANTS

1. 

MAXFORCE ANT FIRE ANT BAIT



2. 

MAXFORCE ANT GRANULAR BAIT.

• These baits would allow the foraging ants to feed the queens ,
  thereby killing the source of the problem. You will want to sprinkle this bait around the mound,
  instead of directly on top of the mound.
  The bait is preferred over Amdro, because birds won't eat it.
  Apply the bait on a fairly sunny day, when there is a good amount of activity around the mound,
  so that the ants can begin to forage for the bait.
  On extremely hot and rainy days do not put out the bait,
  in that there is not as much activity to begin to source the bait.
  Excessive rain will take out the bait.

  You can use:
  ANT BAIT STATIONS-ANT CAFE'S,
  to put the granulated bait inside to keep it dry and making it
  difficult for children and pets to get into.
  
  
  

  ---

  You can also drench the mounds with liquid insecticides,
  however you usually need to use large quantities , a gallon per mound is average.

  
  

  
  TALSTAR
  
  
  CONQUER
  
  
  DEMON WP

  When using a liquid insecticide the goal would be again
  to kill the queen. The most effective way would be to use a rod to form vertical
  tunnels to facilitate the liquid mixture to reach the queens.
  You would use several gallons for large colonies or 1/2 gallon to two gallons on smaller
  colonies.
  Drenching the mound is this manner would ensure a quick kill.
  Feel free to call if you have further questions that we may answer.

• Kill Fire Ants

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