Costs of Controlling Imported Fire Ants in Cattle Production

• Introduction
• The Problem

• Costs of the Problem
• Costs of Control
• Regulatory Considerations
• Biological Control Considerations

• Developing a Management Plan
• Bait Basics
• Individual Mound Treatments
• More Information
• Disclaimer
• Contributors
• Print this Lesson

The type of treatment chosen will determine the cost of treating the entire cattle operation. The estimated cost for treatments using broadcast application of conventionally formulated fire ant bait products, such as hydramethylnon (Amdro Pro), fenoxycarb (Award), pyriproxyfen (Esteem or Distance), methoprene (Extinguish) or Extinguish Plus (hydramethylnon and methoprene) is $10-15 per acre.

Large fire ant mound in pasture.

In small operations in heavily infested areas, this treatment cost may be negligible. However, in larger operations, this treatment cost may be unacceptably high and not economically justifiable. With the exception of Extinguish, products are generally not approved for all use sites that comprise a cattle operation. In these situations, a better approach to the whole-ranch treatment option is the implementation of more refined, site-specific IPM techniques that can include chemical as well as nonchemical (cultural) methods.