Red Imported Fire Ant
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My first introduction to red imported fire ants was in Alabama a few years ago when I was attending the annual National Association of County Agriculture Agents Conference. We were on a field tour at a nursery and I ended up standing on a non-descript fire ant mound. I quickly learned how painful their stings can be!
Fire ants are native to southern Brazil. They currently can be found in eleven southern states and in 74 of 100 counties in North Carolina. There is a quarantine by the US Department of Agriculture & the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services that regulates the movement of items that might carry fire ant infestations to other uninfested parts of the state and country. Fire ants have a major impact on the ornamental plant, sod, and landscaping industries because of problems associated with shipping potentially infested plant material or soil into uninfested areas. Often fire ant mounds found in a previously uninfested area can be traced to landscaping performed at residential or commercial developments.
Fire ant mounds vary in size but are usually in direct proportion to the size of the colony. So, a mound that is 2’ in diameter & 18” tall may contain over 100,000 ants. Mounds in clay soil will usually be symmetrical and dome-shaped, where those constructed in sandy soils will be irregular in shape.
Fire ants are difficult to control and require you to use multiple means to manage them. Managing fire ants requires you to come at them in several ways: start by, inspecting any new landscape material before you purchase & plant in your landscape; eliminate food sources; and the use of chemical insecticides. As for the management of fire ants in your landscape, the “Two-Step Method” is highly effective but requires more effort on your part. Place a bait product out around a mound. Wait about 5-7 days. Then, apply a mound drench which should kill the remaining workers more quickly.
To learn more about fire ants and details on recommended bait and mound treatments, conduct an internet search for Red Imported Fire Ant in North Carolina.