How to Get Rid of Fire Ants

Metro Orlando FL | Kissimmee - Sanford - Leesburg

No one likes fire ant nests in their yards. Their mounds are eyesores, but they’re also full of stinging insects! Fire ant stings can leave itchy welts all over your legs. They can be especially problematic if you have kids.If you want your children to be able to safely play in the yard all summer, you’re going to have to figure out how to get rid of the fire ants in your yard. In this article, we’ll walk you through a few tips for ridding yourself of these pests. If you’re still concerned about taking care of fire ants yourself, call our team today to see how we can help!

Methods to Eliminate Fire Ants

• Dig Them Out – If you have just one or two mounds out in the open, you can actually physically remove them from your lawn with a shovel and a bucket. You may also want to wear gardening gloves and a pair of rain boots when you dig an anthill out of your yard. You want to wear gloves, shoes, and clothing that you can easily knock ants off to avoid getting stung by thousands of fire ants. Make sure to do your digging around mid-day, when most of the ant colony is at home in the mound. Dig the entire mound out and about a foot more below it. Dump the ants and their mound into a bucket large enough to hold them, and then you can decide whether to drown them in soapy water or just dump them somewhere off of your property.
• Scalding Water – Pouring three to four gallons of scalding hot water onto the mound at mid-day, when most of the ants are in the mound, will be effective. However, you should know that hot water will also kill the grass and shrubberies around the mound as well. Be prepared to dig the dead mound out, replace it with new soil, and add seed to grow in new grass.
• Mild Chemical Treatments – If you want to make sure that you kill the mound, but you’re concerned about exposing yourself and your family to harsh chemicals, you can actually use two perfectly safe household ingredients: baking soda and vinegar. First, pour a liberal amount of baking soda over the mound. If it’s a large mound, use a stick to poke a few holes into the mound and fill these with baking soda. Once you have the nest covered with baking soda, pour a liberal amount of vinegar over it. These two ingredients together will kill the mound and won’t cause any harm to you or your family. You will still most likely have to use some seed and/or fertilizer to get healthy grass to grow in again, and you may still need to dig the mound out and refill it with new soil.
• Call the Experts – If you have a lot of anthills, or your ants seem to just be moving around the yard whenever you think you’ve killed a nest, it’s time to enlist the help of lawn care experts. Call Heron Home & Outdoor today for a free assessment and control estimate. We offer options that fit your needs and rid you of your fire ant problem.

Professional Fire Ant Removal Services

If these techniques prove to be outmatched by the number of mounds in your yard, or if you simply would like the help of a professional, it may be time to consider calling on the experts at Heron Home & Outdoor. We have been providing excellent pest management services for several decades and can be trusted to effectively control any fire ant infestation you may be experiencing. Call us today to learn about our fire ant removal services!