Understanding a Fire Ant Colony
Fire ants are amazing architects. Understanding how a fire ant colony is constructed can help explain why these nasty pests are so difficult to control.
Red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) are the worst of all fire ant species because they reproduce rapidly, do extensive damage, and are more aggressive than other species, attacking people and animals, and damaging gardens and crops, air-conditioning equipment, cement slabs, and electrical wires.
If you are looking for a proven method of controlling fire ants on your residential, commercial or agricultural property, Fire Ant Control, LLC is the best fire ant killer around!
From small lots to properties with thousands of acres, our guaranteed service provides an effective, affordable solution for getting rid of fire ants on public and private land.
Fire Ant Colonies
Red imported fire ants build nests outdoors in mounds of soil and live beneath them in an elaborate network of underground tunnels and chambers. Oval-shaped mounds average 10-inches tall, are about as wide as a dinner plate, and have no visible openings.
The subterranean tunnels extend outward and downward from the mounds and open to the surface several inches to many feet away (sometimes 30 feet or more). Worker ants enter and exit through these interconnecting tunnels to hunt down and retrieve food, and defend the colony from attack.
The fire ant queen is the leader of the colony. Her sole purpose is to be an egg-laying machine – laying up to 1,500 eggs per day for two to seven years – to populate the colony. Her nest is located deep within the colony where she is fed by worker ants and protected from predators. Once the queen establishes her colony, she never leaves it again.
Thousands of fire ants live in just one fire ant colony. A property with single queen colonies may have 40 to 150 mounds and about 7 million red fire ants per acre. If infested with multiple queen colonies, there may be 200 or more mounds and up to 40 million red fire ants per acre.
Thanks to the number of mounds in a vibrant colony and the elaborate system of tunnels, it is virtually impossible to eliminate fire ants from your property by spraying the nests with insecticide.
Fire Ant Control Has the Solution
Fire Ant Control is a recognized specialist in controlling red fire ants on any size or type of land. Careful application of our potent, food-like granular bait kills the ant colonies from the inside out.
The bait we use contains an insect growth regulator that sterilizes the queen and is approved for use around people, pets, livestock, and on pastures, hay fields and farmland.
Worker ants ingest the bait and carry it down into the colony, causing the fire ants to die naturally. Extermination is not instantaneous but, once the queen has been sterilized, the entire colony will disappear, and no new ants will be born.
Within weeks, your property will be free of fire ants. Because fire ants fly to mate, however, they will eventually come back. For this reason, we recommend having your property treated three times a year to prevent further fire ant colonization.
Understanding a fire ant colony can help you exterminate them. Learn more about fire ant mounds or get a free estimate for treatment by calling Fire Ant Control, LLC today at (239) 312-8200.