Finding The Fire Ants On Your Jacksonville Property

If you’ve ever encountered fire ants, you already know just how much trouble (and pain) these ankle-biters can cause. But did you know how hard fire ants can be to eliminate?

Here’s what Jacksonville homeowners should know about when fire ants are most active, what to do if you spot a mound, why home remedies don’t work, and the best way to get rid of fire ants with pest control in Jacksonville.

Fire ants prefer warmer temperatures, and since Jacksonville has a mild climate, these insects can be active almost the entire year – but they’re especially out and about during the fall, spring, and summer months.

If they’re active on your lawn, fire ants can be problematic for a few reasons: they’re not only nearly impossible to get rid of on your own, but they deliver painful stings and can cause serious damage to your property or lawn.

The dirt mounds that fire ants create for their colonies can suffocate nearby grass or plants, making landscaping and lawn care that much harder. These pests also have a strange fascination with building their nests inside of electrical equipment, and in some cases, they could cause severe damage to outdoor heating or cooling units.

In addition to their destructive nature, fire ants aren’t easy to get rid of once you’ve got an infestation on your hands. With some ant species, getting rid of a colony is as simple as killing the queen – but fire ant colonies have multiple queens. Even if you manage to kill a couple of their queens, they will still be able to recolonize and bounce back.

Fire Ant Mounds: What To Do If You Spot Them

What should you do if you see a fire ant mound? Here are some dos and don’ts of dealing with these mounds:

• Make sure you keep your distance from the mound. These pests attack in swarms and have powerful, painful stings, so you should never approach a mound on your own.
• Wearing close-toed shoes and still keeping your distance, you’ll want to check your property for signs of other fire ant mounds.
• If you live with other people, you’ll want to notify them about the mound and make sure they wear close-toed shoes when they do go outside.
• If you have close neighbors, you may want to let them know about the presence of the fire ants.
• If you have pets that go outdoors, you’ll want to monitor them outside to ensure they stay away from the fire ant colony and don’t get stung.

Finally, you’ll need to make a call to your local pest control company for safe, effective fire ant removal.

Why Home Remedies For Fire Ants Don’t Work

There are plenty of home remedies you’ll find online for fire ants, but most of them aren’t effective enough to completely get rid of the ants, such as:

• Hairspray and cleaning products: While these products may kill a few ants, they won’t wipe out the entire colony, and the fire ants will likely just move a few feet over.
• Dry rice: You might’ve heard that fire ants will eat dry rice and then die once the grain expands in their stomachs, but this isn’t true.
• Boiling water: This will likely kill some ants, but it probably won’t kill the queen, and the colony will repopulate over time.
• Fire: Not only can it be dangerous to try to burn the mound with fire, but like many of these methods, it’s unlikely to kill the entire colony, so the ants will repopulate.

Unfortunately, most home remedies are just temporary solutions for fire ants. If you really want to get rid of fire ants, you’ll need to use a professional pest control company that has the experience and treatments needed for fire ants.

Getting Rid Of Fire Ants In Your Jacksonville Lawn

The best way to get rid of fire ants in Jacksonville is by working with us at Trad’s Pest Control. With same-day servicing and a satisfaction guarantee, our work isn’t done until your property is completely (and permanently) free of fire ants.

If you’ve discovered a fire ant infestation in your yard or want to know more about how to prevent these pests, don’t wait any longer – call us today at Trad’s Pest Control to receive your free estimate or to learn more about our fire ant treatments.