VNA - Summer Rains Keep Fire Ants Active

Summer Rains Keep Fire Ants Active

Lisa Lennon, Extension, I.P.M., Fire Ant Project

Travis and Williamson Counties (512) 473-9600

(Information provided as a service to VNA 7/14/99)

Believe it or not, the weather plays an important role in red imported fire ant activity!

In a usual Texas summer, fire ants are less active in hot, dry conditions. However, with the unexpected lower temperatures and frequent rains Central Texas has been "blessed" with recently, so come the fire ants.

Fire ants love this type of weather because the humid, damp air allow fire ant queens to continue producing high numbers of eggs and the colony remains in a highly visible state, as worker ants bring soil to the surface.

Summer fire ant treatments may be necessary if no treatments were made in the spring.

There are several alternatives that a homeowner may consider when deciding on a treatment. For heavily infested areas, (5-10 mounds per quarter acre), the Two-Step Method* is an outstanding way fire ants can be managed.

The Two-Step Method* for fire ant control consists of:

Step 1. Broadcasting a bait product over your entire yard using a hand grass seeder, making sure to get uniform coverage and even spread. Most all bait products are formulated at 1-1 ½ pounds per acre, therefore it is necessary to set your hand seeder on the lowest possible setting to apply the bait.
Step 2. After 3-4 days following bait, treat individual mounds that need to be eliminated quickly using an individual mound treatment (contact insecticide). Keep in mind that if bait has been applied, it usually takes some time to work, and therefore not all mounds will need to be treated with a contact insecticide.

Baits are vastly different from contact insecticides. Baits, as the name suggests, are used as food by foraging fire ants. The ants actively pick up bait quickly following application. They carry the "food" back to the colony and begin feeding. The active ingredient in Amdroâ is hydramethylnon, which affects most all ants in the colony, including the queen, and kills them.

The ingredient in Ascendâ is abamectin. The component is derived from a soil fungus and takes about 3 weeks to kill the colony.

The ingredients in Logicâ , Extinguishâ , Distanceâ , and Awardâ are insect growth regulators. They do not kill ants. They disrupt the reproductive cycle of the colony and new workers are not produced to replace the ones that die of natural causes. The IGR’s take longer to work, but last longer.

Contact insecticides work by killing the ants touched. In order for a contact insecticide to kill an entire colony, it has to come in ‘contact’ with every ant. These are the products that often cause people to notice that the ants "just seem to move" following application.

This can happen especially when granular products are not 'watered in' after application. They come in all forms: mound drenches, dusts, granules, aerosols, etc.

Be sure to read and follow directions closely before applying any insecticide.

* The Two-Step Method for Fire Ant Control, L-5070 is available through the County Extension Office

The information given herein is for educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by the Cooperative Extension Service is implied. Extension programs serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, disability, or national origin.

For our other articles posted by VNA on control of fire ants, see:
winter_fireants.html and fireant_hints.html

For even more information on combating fire ants, see:

http://fireant.tamu.edu

For general insect info, see the Texas A&M Department of Entomology main page at:

http://insects.tamu.edu

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