Fire ants are prevalent in South Carolina, particularly as we head back into spring and summer. Fire ants haven’t always lived in the south, however. They were introduced into the United States in the 1930;s by accident, when a ship was docked at a port in Mobile, Alabama. The fire ants have been spreading across the country ever since.
Fire Ant Aggression
Fire ants are an aggressive species. They will attack any animal or human that gets in their way. Fire ants have jaws and a stinger on their backs that contains a venom. Disturbing a nest of fire ants results in an attack of hundreds of worker ants. While most people experience some pain from fire ants stings, about one out of every 200 people are seriously allergic to fire ants and will need to seek medical attention if they are stung.
DIY Fire Ant Prevention
Some people try to take their fire ant problems into their own hands. A common practice is to treat the outdoor fire ant mounds with boiling water. Fire ant mounds can be found in gardens, near buildings, or in lawns. Pouring three gallons of boiling water on an ant mound has been shown to eliminate about 60% of the fire ants inside, but the other 40% can go on to build a new colony. Plus, people tend to experience burns when trying to pour the boiling water on these mounds!
Any time your DIY fire ant control methods fail, the fire ant colony can split up and start a new colony with a newly crowned queen ant. Your control methods may, in fact, cause a spread of fire ants rather than elimination!
Professional Fire Ant Control
Spencer Pest Control has experienced technicians who can eliminate colonies of fire ants without risking their spreading out on your property to develop new colonies! We’ll visit your home, thoroughly inspect your property to find where the fire ants have built their nests, and develop a treatment plan for eliminating the colony and preventing new infestations. We can make a one-time visit to your home, or work with you for ongoing pest control for fire ants and all other pests. Give us a call today to find out which of our residential pest control plans is right for your situation.