How to Get Rid of Fire Ants

Learning the difference between fire ants and red ants can help you avoid a painful sting (or several). Like many, you may just be learning that red ants and fire ants aren’t the same thing. In reality, some fire ants hardly look red at all with a reddish-brown color that’s nearly black in certain lighting. Below, we’ve explained the key differences between red ants and fire ants and offered some effective solutions for preventing fire ant infestations in your yard.

Fire Ants vs. Red Ants: What's the Difference?

To identify fire ants, specifically red imported fire ants or RIFA, try to get a good look at them, but keep your distance. Most fire ants are darker in color than a standard red ant, but their most distinctive difference is an additional petiole (bump) between the thorax and abdomen. While red ants have just one petiole, fire ants have two. Additionally, fire ants are smaller on average than red ants, but you’ll likely not notice this unless you’re looking at the two side by side. Likewise, fire ants are often confused with red velvet ants, which are a species of ground wasp.

While both red ants and fire ants nest in the ground, fire ants construct a much more significant mound than red ants that is typically visible in the ground. Approximately 18 inches wide and 12 inches tall, the soil is loose and crumbly with many entrances. Usually found in grassy areas with ample sunlight, care must be taken around a thriving nest. RIFA colonies develop quickly, growing by as many as 10,000 ants in a year.

Fire ants are much more aggressive than red ants, and they’ll quickly ascend any foreign object that disturbs their nest, unleashing painful stings that lead to itchy bumps and, in rare cases, severe allergic reactions. Red ants, while less aggressive, will still bite. However, the bite is rarely painful and won’t cause a reaction.

Beyond their painful sting, fire ants pose a problem because they are invasive. While they are slightly advantageous to gardeners, feeding on destructive aphids and boll weevils, they are equally problematic, as they feed on pollinators, seeds, roots and bark.

Preventing Fire Ant Infestation

Luckily, there are effective ways to prevent fire ant infestations without chemicals. Here are some fire ant prevention tips:

• Reduce attractants. Don’t want fire ants coming into your yard? Start by removing things they’re attracted to such as garbage and any food items. Also, promptly remove any rotting wood that ants may use as a habitat.
• Install fire-ant preventative landscaping. Fire ants love open grassy areas with full sunlight. While there’s not much you can do beyond planting some shade trees, keeping your lawn and mulch back from your house can help spare it from an infestation.
• Keep your house clean. To protect your home from a fire ant invasion, keep it clean. Immediately clean up food and drink messes and keep food stored in tightly sealed containers.

Natural Remedies for Fire Ant Control

There are several natural remedies for controlling fire ants that you may find effective. However, many of these natural solutions have mixed reviews and may not provide long-term fire ant prevention.

• Vinegar mixture. Spraying or pouring an equal ratio of vinegar and water on fire ants can be an effective way to kill them.
• Beneficial nematodes. Nematodes are effective for controlling infestations, as they invade the insects at various life stages and kill them by releasing bacteria into their body.
• Diatomaceous earth barriers. Creating barriers or diatomaceous earth, a fine powder made of crushed fossilized aquatic organisms can slow down the spread of fire ants. However, diatomaceous earth alone is not typically effective in killing fire ants.

Chemical Treatment Options

While we recommend natural treatment options when possible, chemical options are often necessary to control large infestations and prioritize the safety of your children and pets. Plus, chemical fire ant solutions can be safe and effective if used properly.

When shopping for chemical treatment options, look for those that specify use for fire ants. There are many different types of chemicals for controlling fire ants, such as mound treatments, dusts and granules for broadcasting, so choose the one that will work for your circumstances. Poison bait is also an effective control when dealing with a RIFA infestation. Using this method, poison bait is carried back to the nest, killing the population within. Although a proven strategy for RIFA control, bait is slow-acting and will take four to six weeks for results to be observed.

To ensure chemicals are as safe as possible, use them as intended. Always follow application instructions closely and pay attention to time windows, specifying when the yard is safe for pets and children.

Effective Ways to Destroy Fire Ant Mounds

Oftentimes, it makes sense to attack a fire ant problem directly at the source. If you’re able to pinpoint the location of the ants by locating the specific mound, you can focus your treatment on the mound itself, and then remove it.

Shoveling a mound into a garbage bag and sealing the bag shut will help remove a large portion of ants, but you must do so fast and carefully, as they will quickly reach you. The low ratio of ants-removed-to-risk makes live shovel removal a questionable method. Instead, you should kill the ants first.

Fire ant mounds can be drenched with extremely hot water, but it’s unlikely that you will neutralize every ant by doing so. Additionally, you’ll need approximately three gallons to make a significant dent in the mound and will likely kill all vegetation surrounding the mound as well. Adding soap to the boiling water can improve its effectiveness, as it makes it more difficult for the fire ants to escape. Pro Tip: Before pouring boiling water on a fire ant mound, rake the mound open. Leave the mound for enough time to let the ants settle and return to the mound with the water.