Are Fire Ants back?

While fire ants never really left, in the past few years we haven't seen as many mounds.  Typically during a drought, fire ants burrow deep in the ground seeking moisture therefore you don't see many mounds in your lawn and landscaping.  With the cooler summer we have had and the bit of rain we have seen, the fire ant mounds seem to be popping up across the lawn.  So what should you do?

To control fire ants, it is recommended that fire ants are treated with the "Texas Two-Step Method" which involves a broadcast treatment of fire ant bait and treatment of the mounds.

The bait is a slow acting and is meant to be used to prevent future mounds from popping up.  Depending on the product you choose, it may take just days for it to start working or several weeks.

The mound treatment is fast acting and meant to kill the ants on contact.  This won't necessarily get all the ants in the colony but it should get rid of the ant mound until the slow acting bait kicks in. 

Your local home improvement store will have many fire ant insecticides to choose from.  There are several products that can be used both for the mound treatments and baiting.