The painful burning sting is bad enough, but the visible mounds all over your gorgeous lawn are nothing short of torture. Fire ants in your yard? You’re not alone. They appear across the Southern United States, and fire ants in Florida have almost become a cliché pest with which almost every homeowner must deal at some point. Understanding a bit more about these creatures, though, is the key to learning how to get rid of them in your yard.
A Quick Overview
You’re probably already familiar with the appearance of a fire ant. They’re usually a bright red in color, hence the name “fire ant.” They’re also typically about five millimeters in length. Their nests are typically visible mounds throughout your yard, which can reach as high as 18 centimeters. Inside, you’ll find up to 250,000 very angry workers. If you’re perceived as an intruder, you will be stung repeatedly.
Fire ants will eat any meat or greasy, sweet material. They’ll feed on almost anything they can find, including dead animals in the yard. They’ll also eat seeds and any sweets they can find in your yard. From egg to adult, it takes just 30 days for a fire ant to mature, and the workers can live nearly 180 days.
What You Can Do
If you have an infestation, you want to look for professional fire ant removal. Melbourne is a hot spot for fire ants in Florida, and at Slug-A-Bug, we’ll be happy to help you get rid of them. With one quick call, we’ll tackle the infestation.
If you’re looking for some prevention tips, we can help there too. Start by keeping an eye on your lawn to make certain you spot a fire ant infestation as soon as it begins. You may also want to take a preventative approach and let us help you choose a fire ant bait that will help keep them out of your space all year.