How To Get Rid Of Fire Ants - Pure Pest Control

Fire ants are aggressive defenders of their nests with painful stings. If they have invaded your home or yard, you need to figure out how to get rid of them.

To eliminate fire ants from inside your home, use a bait or spray that they carry back to their nest. Outdoors, spreading granular baits around their hills kills them. For fast results, drench their mound in insecticide. There are also natural ways to get rid of fire ants, such as boiling water, vinegar, and diatomaceous earth.

In my years as a pest control professional, I’ve helped many people get rid of fire ants. If you want to learn more, read this article for detailed tips on eliminating these stinging menaces from my experiences.

You might also be interested in reading these two related articles “Ant Bites On Humans – A Complete Guide” and “How To Tell The Difference Between Flying Ants and Termites“.

Identifying Fire Ants

With more than 12,000 ant species on earth, it’s critical to know what type you’re dealing with. Overall, black and red are the two main types of fire ants in the United States and are both invasive species.

Painfully, fire ants and all ants are small, and the only way you might be able to tell that you have fire ants is if they sting you. Their stings cause pain, itchiness, and welts and, in rare cases, could result in a dangerous allergic reaction.

Red Fire Ant Identification

The red imported fire ant comes from South America, with workers(the ones you’re likely to see outside the nest) of different sizes from 1/16- to 1/5-inch long. Furthermore, they are reddish colored and have extremely aggressive behavior, often swarming threats to their nest with painful stings in large numbers.

In homes, they forage sweets, fats, and proteins, while in the wild they eat insects, dead animals, and fruits. They travel along distinct lines, likely near sidewalk edges, foundations, under the edge of carpets or rugs, baseboards, and up the sides of buildings.

Red fire ants are numerous in the southern, southwestern, and western states, preferring dry and hot places. Finally, their nests have several identifying characteristics, including:

In the form of hills with multiple openings in lawns or bare soil, often in open sunny areas close to a water source.
These hills may reach 18 inches high and 24 inches wide and take on a dome shape after 2-3 years.
Nests are occasionally built in buildings, such as in wall voids, crawl spaces, or under carpets.
Their colonies are up to 500,000 workers with multiple queens and may split and change locations.

Black Fire Ant Identification

The black imported fire ant is another invader from South America, and shares many characteristics and behaviors with the red fire ant. Moreover, the best way to tell the two apart is that the black fire ant is completely black colored.

Also, black fire ants have a more limited geographic range in the United States. In fact, they can only live in Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

What’s the Difference Between Red Ants and Fire Ants?

If you don’t want to subject yourself to a sting, there are a few ways to tell fire ants apart from red ants. First, normal red ants are larger than fire ants, measuring from 1/3 of an inch to 1/2 inch.

Behaviorally, red ants are much less aggressive and won’t swarm a potential threat. Also, red ants are most active at night, while fire ants do most foraging during daylight hours, especially in the morning and evening.

Finally, red ants make their nests in trees or dead wood. On the other hand, fire ants always live in the soil and make mounds.

How To Get Rid Of Fire Ants In The House

Ant baits are effective against fire ants indoors because they are social insects. Furthermore, they bring the deadly bait back to their colony, exposing the entire population.

Place ant baits near areas where you have seen fire ants in your home, but not directly on a trail. Intelligently, ants get spooked and avoid traps placed in their path, making them ineffective.

Also, put the baits in spots that are likely to attract ants. Some of the best areas for fire ant bait placement are:

Near drains
Inside cabinets
Under the fridge and stove
Wall openings

Another Indoor Option: Fire Ant Sprays

Sometimes fire ants with established food supplies might ignore baits, making sprays a helpful backup. Specialty fire ant spray is non-repellent, meaning ants don’t notice when they walk through the deadly residue.

Fire ant sprays don’t kill on contact, instead, it sticks to the insects, and they carry the poison back to their colony. In the end, it may take up to three days for the insecticide to spread through the entire population and kill them.

The best places to apply fire ant spray are crevices along baseboards, windows, and doors. After two or three days you will see fewer fire ants in your home.

Getting Rid Of Fire Ants Outdoors

Outdoor fire ant removal products often contain stronger chemicals than their indoor counterparts. Therefore, you must read and follow all the product’s instructions and take steps to keep yourself, your children, and your pets safe when using them.

Outdoor Fire Ant Baiting

Outdoor fire ant baits come in insect growth regulators, granular insecticides, or a combination of the two. On the one hand, growth regulators stop fire ants from reproducing, while on the other hand, insecticides kill them immediately.

Next, choose between baiting individual fire ant hills or broadcasting over your entire yard. The broadcasting method is more effective on medium to large infestations.

For best results, don’t water your yard before bait application and wait for two days of dry weather. Also, on hot days, apply the bait in the early morning or evening when fire ants forage.

Baiting Fire Ant Hills:

Don’t apply the bait directly to the hill, instead, spread it in a circle around the mound.
Leave the hill alone for at least three days, allowing the forager fire ants time to bring the bait into their nest and disperse it among the workers and queens.

Broadcast Baiting For Fire Ants:

Use a spreader to evenly apply the granular bait across your yard.
Like for hill baiting, wait a few days and let the ants spread the bait among the colony.

Drenching Fire Ants

One of the fastest methods to get rid of fire ants is drenching. To drench a fire ant colony, you will need:

Concentrated fire ant insecticide
Hand pump sprayer
A broom handle or dowel
A five-gallon bucket
Personal protection equipment

Drenching doesn’t always kill every fire ant, and they may come back or move nest locations. Afterward, you can drench them again, or choose another method.

Liquid Drenching Fire Ants:

Mix the fire ant insecticide according to the product’s instructions in the sprayer.
Spray a six to ten-foot diameter circle around the fire ant hill and allow it to dry.
Mix another one to two gallons of insecticide in the bucket.
Use the broom handle or dowel to poke a hole into the fire ant hill.
Pour the insecticide solution down the hole and move away quickly.

Granule Drenching Fire Ants:

Apply a three foot circle of granular insecticide around the fire ant hill.
Add granules over the mound, according to the product label.
Use a garden hose to spray the granules with one to two gallons of water and allow them to soak into the fire ant hill.

What Kills Fire Ants Naturally?

For the most part, insecticides are safe and effective for killing fire ants. But, you may want to try a more environmentally friendly tactic with household ingredients.

Remember, fire ants are extremely aggressive and will swarm you if you threaten their nest. Attempt these natural methods with extreme caution and protective clothing.

Drenching Fire Ants With Boiling Water

First, mark the fire ant hill during daylight by throwing a tennis ball or other bright object near it from a safe distance. Next, wait for darkness when the ants stay in their nest and boil three gallons of water.

Then, wear a headlamp and take the boiling water to the fire ant hill. Carefully pour the water into the entrance and get away fast.

Next, boil another two gallons of water and return to the fire ant hill with a broomstick. Finally, poke the broomstick as deep as you can into the nest, then pour the boiling water in.

Does Vinegar Kill Fire Ant Mounds?

Yes, the acid in vinegar can kill fire ants. You could substitute white vinegar for boiling water to drench a fire ant hill.

Vinegar As A Fire Ant Spray

Also, white vinegar can be used as a natural fire ant spray in the house. You can pour vinegar onto ant trails or spray it onto countertops and other places you have seen fire ants.

The vinegar can kill the ants, and it disrupts the scent trails they leave so other ants won’t be able to find it. Be careful using vinegar on marble and other sensitive surfaces because it can change their appearance.

Diatomaceous Earth To Get Rid Of Fire Ants

Diatomaceous earth(DE) is an abrasive white powder made from fossilized sea creatures. It’s safe for humans and animals but kills fire ants by cutting into their exoskeletons and drying them out.

You can spread food-grade DE around fire ants’ hills or on their trails. You may need to make several applications to eliminate fire ants.