Tag Archives: fire ants

Fire Ant Frenzy

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Ok, in the name of full disclosure, that title is a bit sensationalist. There is no fire ant population explosion threatening America’s major metropolitan areas or a lab bred, super, fire ant with ten times the stinging power. But, it is fair to say that the thought of fire ants in or around or home or certainly stumbling into a fire ant mound creates some level of frenzy. In this post we’ll focus on the red imported fire ant (RIFA), which is significantly more aggressive than native fire ant species.

This species of ant is native to South America and arrived in the United States in the 1930s via a ship from Brazil. They made their first appearance in Mobile, Alabama. Continue reading →

How to Effectively Manage Fire Ants

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Summertime means enjoying the outdoors, kids running through sprinklers and neighborhood lawn parties, and it only takes a few fire ants to completely ruin a lovely summer day.  The red imported fire ant is commonly found throughout the warmer, southern regions of the United States.  This is an invasive species that was accidentally introduced to this country almost a century ago from South America.  Anyone who has experienced a fire ant bite will tell you how painful and unpleasant an experience it is.  Some individuals are even allergic to fire ant bites, and numerous bites can be a serious health risk.  Fire ants aren’t typically an indoor problem, but even in the middle of your lawn they can be a serious issue, which is why it’s important to know how to handle these pests should you encounter them in your yard.

Most people assume that all fire ants are a reddish orange color, but some species are actually brown or black.  Continue reading →