If you live in Florida, you know there are plenty of ups and downs that come with it. Year-round heat is both a positive and a negative depending on who you ask. The same goes for the nature, beaches, the tourism industry, and animals. But there’s one negative aspect almost every Floridian can agree on. And that’s fire ants. So today, we’ll talk about orange oil and fire ants, and how I used the concentrated citrus oil to spot-treat my own fire ant problem.
Orange Oil and Fire Ants: Overview
To begin, let’s cover what exactly fire ants are and where they come from. This may come as a surprise to you because they’ve become synonymous with the south, but fire ants are actually an invasive species. The red imported fire ant was accidentally brought to the U.S. in the 1930s via a shipment of cargo. They landed in Alabama initially and have spread and thrived throughout the south since then. In fact, I’d venture to say they’re the dominant species of ant in central Florida these days. If I see ants, it’s usually fire ants.
Fire ants are omnivorous insects. They’re known to eat essentially anything they can get their hands on. That can include meat, greasy foods, and sweets inside the home. They will also feed on any available animal or vegetable sources of food. The fire ants’ diet can include things like other bugs, earthworms, ticks, spiders, eggs, and honeydew from farmed aphids. The aphid farming behaviors make them a large threat to gardens and raised beds, as enough pressure from the ants can easily cause a plant to wither and die.
Even animals of larger sizes aren’t safe from the fire ant. Young animals such as baby birds, rodents, and even small livestock calves can be attacked and killed but enough ants in one place. Any carrion is also a good source of food. I’ve even seen fire ants swarming and feasting on dead adult cattle. Get a body big enough on your property and you’ll absolutely be running to learn more about orange oil and fire ants, and whatever control methods you can find!
fire ant nests
Fire ants colonies are massive and sprawling underground. But up top, you can look out for either tall, dome shaped mounds that can reach nearly a foot in height or large patches of flat, disturbed soil with holes in it. All nests are going to have fairly obvious entry and exit holes. And the shape and size of the nest are going to be determined by the colony underneath.
The fire ants will come and go from these mounds from entrance tunnels that link into the colony at large beneath the ground. Orange oil and fire ants are honestly better for spot treating if you’re a layman with no real training, as these mounds can be very large beneath the surface. They can reach up to a hundred feet in length from end to end and because of this, can sprawl across many properties.
You’ll most often find these nests in open areas in your lawns and garden. Pastures and roadsides are often infested as well. Other favorite spots for fire ants to place their nests include anything piled up on the ground. Things like bricks, old timber, rocks, pavers, and cinderblocks. Because of this, raised beds are often infested as well.
Fire ant bites and stings
Fire ants are given their common name by the nature of their stings. You see, fire ants don’t simply bite and deliver a pinch like other common American ants do. Instead, they have a stinger, and when they grab a hold of you with their mandibles they will deliver as many stings as they can until they are killed or dislodged. Fire ants stings begin with an intense pinching and burning pain immediately after the sting. This is short lived, thankfully but is quickly replaced with a mild burning and itching that will last several days without treatment.
But people that are stung multiple times can be in real danger. It’s not uncommon for fire ants to swarm and kill small children in certain parts of the world. The wounds look like pus-filled blisters that are similar in size and shape to pimples. And the ants attack in large groups. The venom in their stings can actually attract more ants to come and bite their victim.
Orange Oil And Fire Ants: How it kills them
Soap and d-limonene, chemicals both found in orange oil, kill fire ants on contact. Both soap and d-limonene, found in orange oil, kill fire ants on contact, according to research conducted by the Texas Cooperative Extension. But the best fire ant killer contains both orange oil and soap — either horticultural soap or Dawn liquid dishwashing soap. Mix 1.5 ounces of orange oil and 3 ounces of the Dawn into 1 gallon of water, or add 0.42 ounces of horticultural soap and 2.11 ounces of orange oil to 1 gallon of water. Apply as a mound drench during the early morning or late afternoon hours of the day, which is when the fire ants are most likely to be home.
