How to Identify a Fire Ant Infestation

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(Free-Press-Release.com) August 5, 2010 -- Under normal circumstances, you might like to have a neighboring creature that feeds on cockroaches, ticks, boll weevils, fleas and other pests. But when that creature delivers painful stings if disturbed and destroys crops, you may not like it so much after all.

If you suspect that you have a fire ant infestation then you probably do. Without having to look closely at the ant to identify it, you can tell it’s a fire ant because unlike its native counterparts, a fire ant is an ant with an attitude and a very aggressive nature. If a fire ant nest or mound has been disturbed, its residents will charge in swarms, biting and stinging everything they come in contact with.

Fire ants travel in large numbers in trails on patios, sidewalks and up the sides of buildings. They build mounds that are roughly 18 inches high and 24 inches wide, often on lawns or soil in open sunny areas near water. If you’re not sure whether or not you’re dealing with fire ants, put a stick in the mound. If angry ants start rushing up and down the stick trying to bite it, they’re fire ants. Drop the stick or they’ll be crawling on you!

Fire ants sting and bite relentlessly. One ant is able to deliver thousands of stings to which a large percentage of the population is terribly allergic. Once bitten, your skin will welt and blister – bites can also affect your pets.
It’s very difficult to control an ant infestation but you don’t have to resort to harsh chemical pesticides to do so.

You can destroy a fire ant population with natural ant bait containing boron compounds. Boron is a naturally occurring element of the earth and when ants eat it their ability to digest food is disrupted. Ants carry the bait back to the nest where it is ingested by the queen, destroying the entire colony. The other benefit is that boron isn’t harmful to people or pets.

Ant bait stations are slower to work to destroy a red imported fire ant infestation than direct application of liquid or gel ant bait on the nest, but they can be effective. Because fire ants are so difficult to control, you may require repeat applications.

American manufacturer of earth-friendly household products, Green Star Group Ltd, is the maker of Uncle Albert’s Super Smart Ant Bait. This natural ant bait features boron compounds as its main ingredient and will not harm people or pets. Available in gel and liquid forms, it can easily be applied to hard to reach places.