 |
| Figure 2 Multiple Fire Ant Mounds www.ces.uga.edu/ pubcd/B1191.htm |
This is a newsletter with practical suggestions. It will be updated often. Please revisit it.
Fire ants are social insects occurring in subtropical to temperate climates with mild winters and few frost days. They build nests comprising of tunnels in mounds of loose soil.
|
| Figure 2 Multiple Fire Ant Mounds www.ces.uga.edu/ pubcd/B1191.htm |
 |
| Figure 1 Fire Ant Colony www.greensmiths.com/fire.htm |
Most fire ants build multiple mounds. Fire ants are found near most dry habitats, ranging from lawns to agricultural fields. Mainly they are found outdoors, but will travel inside for food.
There are numerous species of fire ants, both native and imported. The Southern Fire Ant, Solenopsis xyloni is native to the United States.
 |
| Figure 3 Southern Fire Ant (Solenopsis xyloni) www.tightloop.com/ ants/solxyl1.htm |
Generally they are found along the Gulf Coast, but their range stretches from the Carolinas to California. They are brownish red in color, with a brownish black head and abdomen. Their body is about 1/16" to 1/4" long. The Imported Red Fire Ant, Solenopsis invicta occurs in the southern U.S. from North Carolina to Texas. They are reddish in color and up to ¼" long. The Imported Black Fire Ant (Solenopsis richteri) is so similar to the Imported Red Fire Ant, scientist are questioning whether they are diffeent races within the same species.
 |
| Figure 4 Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta) www.maf.govt.nz/.../pests-diseases/ animals/fire-ants/ |
Currently, S. richteri is only found in Mississippi and Alabama. The imported species are especially aggressive, compared to the native. Another species of fire ant is Solenopsis geminata, ranging from South Carolina and Florida to Texas, and south into Costa Rico, Brazil, and Peru.
They are yellowish red to black in color. They are about 1/10" to 1/4" with sharply incurved mandibles. Fire ants are difficult to identify. If you are not sure what kind of insect you have, call your county extension agent.
 |
| Figure 5 Solenopsis geminata www.applesnail.net/ |
Fire ants stay outside for the most part, but may migrate into foundations of buildings or fireplaces. They can enter homes through cracks in cement floors. In most cases they are looking for food. They can nest in housing structures, but generally do not prefer to. Fire ants become a nuisance when they inhabit lawns, playgrounds, or agricultural fields. Agriculturally fire ants can harm crops by eating seedlings or young plants. They also can harm livestock and equipment. All of the above species sting. This is perhaps the quickest identification, although painful. Usually they only sting when they are disturbed by a possible predator. For example, if you were to step on them with bare feet, you most likely would get stung.
 |
| Figure 6 Fire Ant Sting Blisters http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/fireants/ |
Exercise caution in areas where fire ants are foraging or in disturbing their mounds. Fire ants rarely sting when indoors, but one should still be cautious. Their sting leaves a small, itchy blister. These blisters can easily be infected if they are opened. If a sting does occur, wash the area with soap and water. Apply a cold compress to reduce swelling and pain. If someone is allergic to bee stings, they are likely allergic to fire ant stings. Medical help is recommended if allergic reactions occur.
There is no treatment to permanently eliminate fire ants. Most treatments are only temporary. However, there are some effective methods of controlling and reducing fire ant populations.
Broadcast Bait Applications use a chemical insecticide combined with a bait attractant. The insecticide is a slow acting toxicant in soybean oil that is absorbed by corn grits. The fire ants digest it or take it back to the mound to share with the colony. This way, it slowly kills more of the colony. The disadvantages are that it may take up to five weeks to be effective, and the area is subject to reinfestation. Some examples are Ascend, Award, Hi-Yield Fire Ant Bait, Amdro, and Combat Fire Ant Killer Granules.
Individual Mound Treatments are better at killing the queen(s), which can inhibit the growth of the colony. Favorable results may be reached faster, but this method is more laborious and time consuming. There are three types of treatments: chemical, physical and biological. Chemical treatments include baits, drenches, granules, dusts, and aerosols with chemical insecticides as active ingredients. Physical treatments include hot water drenches, and excavating of the nest area. These treatments cause fire ants to relocate, but they may return. Biological mound treatments can be used as environmentally safe alternatives to chemicals. BioLogic Company has a beneficial nematode product effective in killing fire ants. SCANMASK works by killing the queen(s), or killing so many workers that the colony starves. It is formulated with Steinernema feltiae and is easily used for treating individual mounds.
Combining Broadcast Bait and Individual Mound Treatments entails applying bait in the area of infestation, then after about three days, treating the mound area with insecticides.
Barrier and Spot Treatments are a quick fix to get rid of visible fire ants. They merely kill visible fire ants immediately. Chemicals that contain acephate, bendiocarb, cabaryl, chlorpyrifos, diazinon, isofenphos, propoxar, permethrin, or resmethrin as active ingredients fall into this category. These usually come in a spray or dust formulation, and can be applied on or around foundations of buildings. Barrier and spot treatments do not eliminate colonies.
There are other Biological Controls that can reduce fire ant populations. As mentioned, beneficial nematodes work well when treating individual mounds. Phorid flies (Pseudacteon spp.) are predators of fire ants, but they do not kill S. invicta or S. richteri, that have been introduced to an area. These flies attack fire ant workers. The female lays eggs in the head of the fire ant and the larvae develop there. The head falls off and the adults emerge. The protozoan Thelohania solenopsae reduces fire ant numbers. It weakens the colony, which may eventually die. Solenopsis daguerrei is a parasitic ant. The parasitic ant queen disguises herself as a fire ant to enter a colony. She uses her mandibles to clamp onto a fire ant queen's body. This weakens the fire ant queen, eventually weakening the colony. However, no one sells any of these organisms commercially. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has been releasing some of these biological controls to reduce fire ant populations. Straw itch mites Pyemotes tritici are parasites of a variety of arthropods and are sometimes sold for fire ant control. However, they can cause severe rashes and intense itching in humans.
Text copyright by Albert Pye, Ph.D., BioLogic Company
http://www.biologicco.com/
Others are welcome to link to this site or copy intact versions with all links.