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Strategies To Protect Your Property & Prevent Infestations

Fire ants are some nasty pests. Not only can they make your life very unpleasant, but they can also be hard to eradicate once you find them. They deliver painful bites, but they are hard to get rid of and they spread quickly. It’s important that you work with a pest control company to put an effective treatment and maintenance plan in place to keep fire ants and other nasty critters out of your yard and your home.

Fire ants in a yard in Arizona

Here are five effective things you can do to combat fire ants on your property:

Treat the Yard

Fire ants can move quickly, and you never know where they might appear in your yard. You should treat the entire yard with a fire ant bait. The widespread use of the bait across your yard will ensure that you don’t miss any potential colonies and that the fire ants don’t just leave one spot and create a new colony in another.

Use an effective bait across your entire yard several times a year. The repetition will ensure continual protection even if rain washes away the bait.

Treat the Mounds

Fire ants can burrow deep into the ground. After you use a broadcast bait to treat your yard, you can then treat the individual mounds. Don’t try to treat the individual mounds without treating the yard first though, or your efforts will be wasted. The ants can move too quickly.

When you do treat the mounds, be sure that you are drenching them with insecticide. Those mounds can go deep, and the ants can easily escape the treatment. Drench the mound to get all the ants, including the deeply buried queen.

Target the Queen

Killing the queen is key to killing a fire ant colony. If you don’t kill the queen, you won’t kill the mound because she’ll just keep reproducing. The most effective way to target the queen is known as the “rod method.” With is method, a rod is placed vertically into the ground, creating a direct pathway for the bait. Even if you don’t know exactly where the queen is, putting the bait deeper into the ground will improve your chances of reaching the queen and doing so more quickly.

Flood with Hot Water

Most DIY methods are not very effective. However, if you are concerned about using chemicals on your yard, or if you aren’t able to get a pest control technician to your home quickly, you can try flooding the fire ant mounds with hot water. Boil the water to get the most impact, and then drench the mound with it. You may need to boil a second batch if you don’t have a large-enough pot to thoroughly drench the mound. Repeat this process as necessary.

Know that the boiling water may kill the fire ants, but it is also likely to kill the grass and any other vegetation that is surrounding the mound. Also be very careful when handling the water and pot so as not to injure yourself.

Spread Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous earth is a power comprised of marine phytoplankton. It is sometimes effective in killing fire ants and other pests, and it is a natural treatment option. You can spread this around the mounds and in other areas where you have seen the fire ants.

The most effective thing you can do to rid your property of fire ants is to hire a reputable pest control company. Only experienced pest control technicians have the tools and the skills to effectively target and eradicate fire ants. You may get limited results with DIY methods, but the fire ants will come back again and again, and you’ll waste your time and your energy.

Varsity Pest & Termite Control in Mesa can eliminate your fire ant problem in Phoenix. Our pest control technicians have comprehensive solutions to treat and prevent fire ant infestation. Our pest services also address a host of common pests in the Phoenix area, including termites, scorpions, roaches, pigeons, roof rats, and more. We can implement a plan to keep your home clean and safe. Contact us today to schedule an inspection and to learn more about your pest control options.

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