Released August 21, 2009
PINE BLUFF, Ark. - Sunshine, high temperatures and drying soil is prompting fire ants to become more active, according to Don Plunkett, Jefferson County extension staff chair for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
"With recent wet and cooler conditions fire ants have stayed active but somewhat hidden," he said. "Now as lawns, gardens and fields dry fire ants will be very active and mounds are all ready popping up."
Time to consider control methods.
"Fire ant control programs are usually centered on a two-step program with bait as the first step," he said. "When properly used, bait broadcast onto dry lawns can become very effective in just days."
With use of a bait, fire ant workers forage and find the bait then carry the granules back to mounds. The product is fed to the queen or queens in the mound. That queen dies, stopping new worker offspring from developing.
After a bait has been broadcast, the lawn and any non-garden area or cropland should be monitored for signs of new mound activity.
"If you see new activity, the second step should be to perform a mound treatment," he said. Granules can be spread around the mound or the use of other approved insecticides may be used.
As always, read and follow the label for any pesticide.
"Some insecticides for fire ants require watering in, but the baits do not require watering nor should they be used when it is wet or when a rain is expected within 24 hours," Plunkett said.
Most labels state that the mounds should not be disturbed prior to an application of products. When mounds are disturbed the queen is moved quickly away and may not be killed with a treatment.
Homeowners and property owners wanting to use insecticides other than baits on the second step method should avoid overuse of a product.
"Too much product may mean wasted money and environmental problems if the insecticide leaches into ground water or is washed into nearby storm drains or streams," he said.
For more information on fire ant control contact your county extension office, or visit us online at http://www.uaex.edu and search for "fire ant."
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http://www.uaex.edu/news/august2009/0821fireants.htm
Writer: Elizabeth Fortune, (501) 671-2120, efortune@uaex.edu
