• Introduction
• Management Options

• Home Lawns and Ornamental Turf
• Homes and Buildings
• Electrical Equipment and Utility Housing
• Home Gardens
• Composting, Mulch and Pavement
• Bodies of Water

• Organizing a Community-Wide Suppression Program
• Treatment Methods
• Biology and Identification
• Medical Problems
• History of Control Efforts
• Fire Ant Insecticides
• Policy Statement
• Acknowledgments
• Print this Lesson

Hand-held bag spreader for fire ant treatment application.

Properly identifying an ant species is the first step in determining whether the ants should be managed and how to do so (see Fire Ant Biology and Identification). Doing nothing is an option that should be considered in areas where imported fire ants are not present or are present in very low numbers and do not pose a problem. Most management options require repeated treatments to maintain control, which requires a commitment to continued labor and expense. In the following sections are options for managing various kinds of imported fire ant problems. There may be other effective methods not mentioned, and there is rarely a single best method of control.