Well, here we are again. We’re deep into spring, and summer is just around the corner. The plants are blooming in the garden, but we’re not the only ones farming them. If you look under any really leafy or food producing plant, you’ll probably see something worrying. Fire ants! So today we’re going to touch on Florida fire ant removal, where they come from, and why they may be in your garden.
Florida Fire Ant Removal: Why are there fire ants in my garden bed?
The sad news we’ll begin with is that the red imported fire ant is a garden scourge. It’s a severe pest for anyone attempting to garden in the South. Unfortunately, this invasive species from South America has become the dominant ant in the region. It’s assumed they were imported in the early 1900s through trade, and with no competition or natural predators, they’ve expanded since then.
They are attracted to many different things in your garden beds. The rich, organic soil, often containing compost as a supplement, is very attractive to this pest. As well as the abundant moisture from watering and the variety of foods available to them. Fire ants will eat just about anything they can grab onto and rip a piece off of. So ground dwelling insects are another attractant to your garden beds, as healthy soil has many more bugs in it than dry, dead, sandy soil.
So the worker ants will make their way into your garden and start doing everything from hunting bugs to farming. Fire ants are known to place aphids on the underside of leaves on plants and then harvest the honeydew they produce from sucking the nutrients out of it. So even if they don’t attack directly, you may want some Florida fire ant removal if you see your plants withering and dying off and notice ants crawling on them. And I can tell you from personal experience that they’re relentless. Without the aid of a professional pest control company, you can spend years spot treating these ants. And why? Well, let’s get into what fire ants are, how they live, and how large their tunnels can be.
What are red imported fire ants?
Red imported fire ants are the most common ant you’ll find in the Southeast U.S. today. So, from here on we’ll just discuss them as fire ants. Of all ants in the U.S., they pose the most threat to individual humans compared to other species. Much of this can be due to their swarming nature. Another can be the venom in their stings, which can cause allergic reactions to people sensitive to their venom.
Fire ants are black and red in coloration and less than half an inch in length. They often nest in soil and other moist environments, such as irrigated lawns and the edges of riverbanks and ponds. Red imported fire ants move eggs, larvae, or pupae up and down in the galleries of their nest’s tunnels. A fire ant colony may contain several queens and thousands of worker ants.
And as I mentioned above, these guys are swarmers. As long as I’ve been around, I don’t think I’ve run across more aggressive ground dwelling insects than the fire ants. When you see them, most of the time, they’ll be busy building or expanding their mounds or piles that are the entryways into their colonies. They feed on seeds, young plants, and small insects such as crickets. They may attack and capture small animals, first biting their victims and then injecting them with alkaloid venom via an abdominal stinger.
Fire ants prefer warm and sunny conditions. So well mowed lawns and open fields are some of their favorite places to create nests. They avoid shady areas with lots of trees, such as the woods. So if you have an open, flat patch of grass next to your garden, then it may be practically unavoidable to, at some point at least, need some Florida fire ant removal help.
Fire ant nests
Fire ant nests are mostly spotted by their entryways as I mentioned above. They can appear dome shipped and just over a foot into the air or just be a massive, sprawling mound of dirt with many holes on the ground. Some tunnels in and out are a simple, singular holes as well. It’s never really obvious which way is the main way in and out of the nest. But the ants come and go via the underground tunnels beneath the surface.
These tunnels that the ants construct can be massive and sprawl off in multiple directions. Some ant nests can cross several properties and reach ninety feet in length in their longest tunnels. Make sure never to step on a suspected fire ant mound, as the workers will quickly move their queen to a new location while attacking the offending foot/paw/hoof that disturbed their mound.
Florida Fire Ant Removal: How to deal with a fire ant infestation
All of this, put together, makes fire ants into a pretty heavy duty pest. If you live on a property with large, flat areas that can get a lot of sunlight throughout the day, there’s a real chance you’ll end up with an infestation eventually. That is to say, it’s not really something you can tackle on your own. You can spot treat for fire ants, especially with things such as orange oil, but the size of their nests make them nearly impossible to deal with by yourself.
Instead, you should go with a pest control specialist in your area. Especially ones that use natural methods of pest control. Fire ants, and other quickly reproducing insects, can develop resistance and even full on immunities to improperly used chemical controls. This is thanks to them being able to pump out generation after generation of ants, allowing mutations to happen quickly. So if you want the job done right, feel free to contact us online at insectfree.com or give us a call at 1-800-634-1313 for a consultation today.
