It can be easy to think that fire ants are impossible to control. Besides, how can you eliminate a pest that you can’t walk 30 feet outside without seeing? You may find a way to remove them from your property, but if they've found favorable conditions in your yard, they will likely reinfest.
Today, we're going to help you understand fire ant behavior and why these pests are so difficult to control. Here is everything you need to know about fire ants in Weber County.
What Are Fire Ants?
Fire ants are small pests that range in color from red to black. They commonly infest lawns in Weber and Davis counties. Fortunately, fire ants are almost exclusively outdoor pests who prefer living around hot and dry areas. The only time they typically enter homes is to find temporary shelter from danger. You may also find them in an abandoned structure, especially if it stays hot inside.
How Dangerous Are Fire Ants?
One thing that sets fire ants apart from other ant species is that they have both stingers and powerful mandibles used to bite and sting perceived threats. This makes interacting with them especially painful. Several bites and stings can make areas of the skin feel as if it is burning, and excessive itching can lead to swelling and infection. For individuals who are allergic to the venom of insects, a sting from a group of fire ants can be dangerous. Make sure you talk to your doctor to know your risk.
What Other Problems Will Fire Ants Cause For Weber County Homeowners?
Beyond their bite and sting, fire ants will cause several other problems around yards. For one, they will get inside exterior heating and cooling units where they chew on insulation and wiring causing short circuits and other electrical malfunctions. In addition to this, they can also be extremely damaging to both grass and other yard and garden plants.
Why Is It So Hard To Get Rid Of Fire Ants?
Fire ant colonies have multiple queens which sets them apart from other ant species. If you didn’t know, an ant colony can be terminated simply by killing the queen. This makes fully eliminating fire ant colonies especially difficult because if just one queen is left alive, the colony will be able to repopulate and survive. Most often, when something attacks a fire ant colony, queens and workers will disperse to find safety. After the threat is gone, they will return and rebuild. Therefore, you may think your fire ant problem is a thing of the past, but your solution may be temporary. As you can imagine this is extremely frustrating.
Ineffective Fire Ant Treatments
When it comes to fire ant control, there is a lot of misinformation. There is a right way, and there are lots of wrong ways for controlling a fire ant problem. Here are a few methods that might seem like they should work, but prove ineffective and even dangerous.
- Laying a hose next to a hill and letting it run continuously. This will just over water your yard and potentially damage your grass.
- Pouring gasoline or any other chemical over fire ant hills. This will not only not work to fully eliminate fire ants but can cause serious damage to your lawn.
- Lighting ant hills on fire by any means. This can be dangerous, especially if there are dry leaves or other flammable materials nearby.
- Using explosives of any kind to destroy hills. Although this might look cool, all it does is leave gaping, ugly holes in your yard.
The Only Way To Properly Handle Fire Ants
Don’t waste your time or money trying to deal with fire ants on your own. Instead, let the professionals here at Pest Pro Pest Control lend a helping hand. Our team of experts has the equipment and treatments needed to properly eliminate fire ants from your property and set up defenses to keep them from coming back.
Reach out to us today to find out more about our fire ant control process or to schedule a service visit for your Weber or Davis County yard.