All fire ant baits work very well when applied according to the label instructions. The key to using baits is patience. If you use a fresh bait product and apply it properly, a broadcast application should give 80% to 95% control. Choose a bait based on cost of the bait, how soon you need to have fire ant control, and how long you want to wait between bait applications.
The way a fire ant bait works depends on the active ingredient in the bait. Some baits contain an insecticide that kills all ants that ingest a sufficient dose, including the workers and the queen. Baits with an insect growth regulator or similar compound reduce the production of viable eggs. They do not kill the queen or the adult workers. They may prevent the immature fire ants from developing.
Each fire ant bait acts somewhat differently, so read the label to determine the right way to apply each product and how much product to use. Currently, eight insect control chemicals are used in fire ant baits: abamectin, fenoxycarb, fipronil, hydramethylnon, indoxacarb, s-methoprene, pyriproxyfen, and spinosad.
Insecticide-based baits include hydramethylnon, sold as Amdro, Amdro Pro, Amdro Fire Ant Bait Yard Treatment, Probait; and spinosad, sold as Fertilome Come and Get it, Ortho Fire Ant Killer Bait Granules, Penn-Kill Fire Ant Killer Bait, Southern Ag Payback Fire Ant Bait, and Green Light Fire Ant Control with Conserve. You should begin to notice a decrease in active fire ant mounds in 2 weeks.
Maxforce FC contains the insecticide fipronil. The first fire ant workers will die in about 2-3 weeks, but it can take 4-6 weeks to kill them all.
Spectracide Once N Done and Advion contain the active ingredient indoxacarb. Indoxacarb-based baits are fast-acting and control fire ants within a few days.
The other four active ingredients act primarily as insect growth regulators when they are broadcast. They are abamectin, sold under the trade names of Ascend, Advance 375 A Fire Ant Bait, and Varsity; fenoxycarb, sold as Award and Hi-Yield Logic; s-methoprene, sold as Extinguish; and pyriproxyfen, sold as Distance and Esteem. These materials act quickly to prevent new fire ants from developing, but it takes longer for the existing workers to die. Results from broadcast applications of fenoxycarb, abamectin, and pyriproxyfen can be seen in 6-8 weeks. S-methoprene takes 8-12 weeks.
Insecticide-based baits usually provide several months of control. Insect growth regulators usually provide 6-12 months of control. It all depends on how soon new fire ant queens re-invade the area.
If you want to have faster control than you get with an insect growth regulator, yet longer-lasting control than you get with an insecticide-based bait, you can mix the two types of baits together at half rates. Extinguish Plus is a commercially available mix of hydramethylnon and s-methoprene.
If you are having trouble finding a fire ant bait, try looking at big-box stores, hardware stores, home and garden centers, home improvement stores, farmers' co-ops, pesticide distributors, and do-it-yourself pest control stores.
Amdro Pro, Esteem, Extinguish, and Extinguish Plus can be applied to active cattle pastures and hayfields.
Extinguish can be used on most cropland and vegetable plots. Fertilome Come and Get It Fire Ant Killer and Green Light Fire Ant Control with Conserve can be used on home garden plots, provided they are less than 1 acre. Esteem can be used by commercial growers in many tree fruits and nut orchards, as well as in certain vegetable and fruit crops.
The most effective way to apply bait is to broadcast it. Small areas can be broadcast using a hand-held seed spreader. Larger areas can be treated using seeders with a larger hopper and a wider swath width.
A fire ant bait has three ingredients. The insect control chemical (called the active ingredient) is dissolved in soybean oil, which attracts the ants. The oil is absorbed onto a corn-based carrier, allowing the bait to be easily spread. Fire ant workers quickly pick up the bait, moving the active ingredient into the fire ant colony and away from other organisms. Fire ant baits are considered to be very safe for the environment because they contain such a small amount of active ingredient. The ants extract the toxicant-laden oil and feed it to other members of the colony. Because the active ingredient is slow-acting, there is ample time for the material to be fed to the queen. Baits are the most effective method to keep the queen, the heart of the colony, from reproducing. Baits also effectively treat mounds not large enough to be seen.
For more information see "Broadcast Baits for Fire Ant Control" and "The Latest Broadcast on Fire Ant Control Products" .
Note: A particular fire ant control product may not be registered (legal to use) in every state. This is especially true it you live in a western state with very few fire ant-infested counties. What does this mean? Purchase your fire ant control material in the state that you live in, and make sure you find fire ants on the label of the pesticide. Your county Extension office should be able to help you confirm if a particular pesticide is registered in your state.
