(ARA) - Temperatures are on the rise, more kids are playing outside, and before you know it, gardens will be flourishing. All these signs point to one glorious time of year — spring. For people living in predominantly southern regions of the United States, spring also means that fire ants are back in force.
Fire ants, an unfortunately common pest in about 15 states, are both a nuisance and a health risk. Taking up residence in yards, sidewalks, playgrounds, and electricity boxes, fire ants are most active during the spring season. With warm, humid air and occasional rain showers, a welcoming environment for fire ants is created.
Spring is the perfect opportunity for fire ants to begin working on their mounds. During this time, winged fire ants begin the task of starting new colonies and foragers start doing some work near the surface of the soil. Ants are out looking for food and traveling from yard to yard — so now is the best time to stop these pests in their tracks.
“It is extremely important to treat before the fire ants divide into new colonies,” says Neal Denton, extension agent and county director with the University of Tennessee. “In order to do so, you must get to them early in the spring before they are first waking up.”
Building mounds in areas where humans come in frequent, direct contact with them, fire ants are a threat to families, children and pets. The best way to combat fire ants is to use a broadcast treatment over your entire yard. Broadcast treatments, such as Over ‘n Out Fire Ant Killer, eliminate mounds and ants that can’t be seen. This method is a sure-fire way to gain control and the treatment creates a fire ant-free zone in as little as three weeks.
The broadcast treatment can be distributed by a spreader across the whole yard. Once the Over ‘n Out Fire Ant Killer has been administered, control of fire ants lasts all year long, with results visible in as few as three days.
For homeowners looking to go the extra mile and stamp out fire ants in an entire neighborhood, collaboration between neighbors is essential for a continued and concurrent effort to treat for fire ants.
“Neighborhood programs are extremely valuable in controlling fire ants,” says Denton. “To stop fire ants from spreading from one yard to the next, an entire neighborhood can work together and use a broadcast treatment that is more effective than treating a spot here and there.”
Studies have shown that areas with diligent neighborhood programs, where multiple homeowners treat their property at the same time with the same treatment, can reduce the number of active mounds by as much as 96 percent. Neighborhood programs are a proven method to prevent fire ant infestations, making communities safer for everyone. But for many fire ant experts, lapses in successful neighborhood suppression programs are as irritating as a fire ant sting.
“There are a number of benefits to neighborhood programs,” says Tim Davis, fire ant
suppression specialist with Clemson (S.C.) University. “The larger the treated area, the longer the dormant period lasts. A coordinated effort between neighbors makes the treated areas bigger, making it harder for fire ants to re-colonize.”
For more information about fire ants visit www.FireAntFree.com or the FireRANT! blog at http://blog.TheFireRant.com.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
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