Important Information about Fire Ants
The ants are black or reddish brown in color and measure between an eighth and a fourth of an inch. The queen is larger, measuring about half of an inch and often has a darker red color. Fire ants are very aggressive and sting. The stings can cause health complications and their aggressive behavior can damage driveways or electrical equipment.
Fire ants house their colonies in nests made out of soil. These nests use a dome-like outer structure and can come in various sizes. Most mounds will be found in sunny spots, but they can also be found under pavement, near trees or buildings, and surrounding rotting wood. If the mound is disturbed, the worker ants will attack aggressively.
Colonies do not always have the same structures within them. Some colonies feature multiple queens, rather than just one. A single-queen colony will house between 100,000 and 240,000 worker ants, while larger colonies with multiple queens will house as many as 500,000. The average life span of a worker ant is between 30 and 180 days, depending on the size of the ant. The queen will live much longer and has a lifespan of 2 to 6 years. The fire ant's full lifecycle is between 22 and 38 days.
Mating flights are often used to expand colonies. Budding will also occur if part of the colony becomes an independent unit. Reproductive swarmers can be produced after a colony becomes one year old. The mating flights will start shortly thereafter, preferably on a sunny day. This reproduction method makes it possible for as many as 97,000 queens to occupy an acre of land. Each queen can lay as many as 1,5000 eggs per day, which makes fire ants very difficult to fully remove from an area.
High protein foods are the main part of a fire ant's diet. The ants will consume almost any animal or plant matter, but are especially attracted to honey dew. Honey dew is a substance created by white flies, aphids or soft scales and can be found on a variety of different plants. Fire ants will also harvest other insects as part of their food source. In some cases, treating the honey dew producing insects will also control the fire ant population in the area.
Both single mound and broadcast treatments can be used to help control the fire ant population. Single mound treatments often include mound drenches, granular and dust treatments, however, home remedies and baits are also frequently used. While mound drenches are popular, these typically do not reach the queen or solve the problem. Bait can be much more effective, as worker ants will bring the bait to the queen for consumption.
To learn more about bait programs and other effective ways to control your fire ant population, contact us today.
Fire ants house their colonies in nests made out of soil. These nests use a dome-like outer structure and can come in various sizes. Most mounds will be found in sunny spots, but they can also be found under pavement, near trees or buildings, and surrounding rotting wood. If the mound is disturbed, the worker ants will attack aggressively.
Colonies do not always have the same structures within them. Some colonies feature multiple queens, rather than just one. A single-queen colony will house between 100,000 and 240,000 worker ants, while larger colonies with multiple queens will house as many as 500,000. The average life span of a worker ant is between 30 and 180 days, depending on the size of the ant. The queen will live much longer and has a lifespan of 2 to 6 years. The fire ant's full lifecycle is between 22 and 38 days.
Mating flights are often used to expand colonies. Budding will also occur if part of the colony becomes an independent unit. Reproductive swarmers can be produced after a colony becomes one year old. The mating flights will start shortly thereafter, preferably on a sunny day. This reproduction method makes it possible for as many as 97,000 queens to occupy an acre of land. Each queen can lay as many as 1,5000 eggs per day, which makes fire ants very difficult to fully remove from an area.
High protein foods are the main part of a fire ant's diet. The ants will consume almost any animal or plant matter, but are especially attracted to honey dew. Honey dew is a substance created by white flies, aphids or soft scales and can be found on a variety of different plants. Fire ants will also harvest other insects as part of their food source. In some cases, treating the honey dew producing insects will also control the fire ant population in the area.
Both single mound and broadcast treatments can be used to help control the fire ant population. Single mound treatments often include mound drenches, granular and dust treatments, however, home remedies and baits are also frequently used. While mound drenches are popular, these typically do not reach the queen or solve the problem. Bait can be much more effective, as worker ants will bring the bait to the queen for consumption.
To learn more about bait programs and other effective ways to control your fire ant population, contact us today.