Boric Acid Treatment for Fire Ants
- Boric acid is an odorless, colorless powder made from borates that occur naturally in soils, rocks and seawater. Although boric acid will kill ants and cockroaches, it is low in toxicity to people, pets and beneficial insects. It is commercially available in a formula registered specifically for fire ant control.
- Red imported fire ants, which are reddish-brown and black and one-eighth to one-fourth of an inch long, thrive in dry, sunny areas in the southeastern United States and in Texas, where they form mound-shaped nests. When their nests are disturbed, fire ants rush from the mound and deliver stinging bites that cause pustules that may itch for up to 10 days, and can become infected. Some people have allergic reactions to the bites that include rashes and swelling, paralysis, and--in rare cases--anaphylactic shock and death.
- The red imported fire ant arrived in the United States from central Brazil sometime between 1933 and 1945. Because there are no natural enemies for this ant in the United States, this country's fire ant population exceeds that of Brazil by 90 percent. Red fire ants decrease the diversity of native insect groups and wildlife, and have virtually wiped out competing fire ant species in the United States, as well as displacing black imported fire ants, their much less aggressive relatives.
- Boric acid is usually mixed with a food attractant--such as sugar, syrup or peanut butter--and placed near the fire ants' mound as a bait. It adheres to the legs of the fire ants that come in contact with it, and is ingested when the insects groom themselves. Fire ants that consume this bait not only will die within three to 10 days, but will carry it back to the nest, where it spreads to other fire ants, eventually killing them, as well.
- Boric acid may take some time to eradicate a colony, but it is ultimately very effective. According to the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service, four dilutions of boric acid, ranging from .25 percent to 1 percent and mixed with sugar water, achieved 95 to 100 percent control of a fire ant mound within eight weeks.
- If you have been stung by fire ants and are having pronounced swelling or sudden difficulty in breathing, call for emergency medical care immediately to avoid the possibility of anaphylactic shock. Pregnant women should not use any products containing boric acid.