Get it growing
Spring is near in Louisiana. The birds are singing, and flowers are beginning to blossom in our landscapes.
It’s a great time to be outdoors. Watch your step, though, or you might become a victim of another sign of the changing seasons: fire ants.
As temperatures warm, fire ants become more active. By now, you’ve likely seen their mounds popping up in your yard — and perhaps have even gotten stung. Maybe you’re wondering what can be done to control these pain-inflicting insects and their unsightly mounds.
LSU AgCenter entomologist Aaron Ashbrook recommends a strategy called the Texas twostep. Borrowing its name from the country-western dance, this method developed by scientists at Texas A&M University involves using an insecticidal bait followed by a spray.
“You first apply a broadcast bait to the yard. This is of course picked up by the ants at warmer temperatures, and they will feed upon it, share it with others and that will cause mortality to the queen,” Ashbrook said. “Afterwards, you’re going to apply spray insecticides to the mounds as they rise or new ones are formed.”
Ashbrook suggests using a seed spreader to apply the bait to your lawn when temperatures are between 75 and 95 degrees, as this is when ants are foraging. Avoid applying insecticides if it’s going to rain soon or if the soil is already saturated. Some, but not all, baits can be wetted when applied to the mounds to increase efficacy; be sure to follow label directions when applying the product.
Following up with spot treatments of a spray insecticide will provide better control than using bait alone.
Product labels will offer guidance on how often to reapply. In general, spray mounds as needed to help keep them at bay, and plan on repeating the entire two-step strategy in the fall.
“It’s important to remember that we don’t totally eliminate fire ants from the area, and so we have to use those sprays to stay on top of those nuisance mounds that reappear after the bait application,” Ashbrook said.
For those seeking effective organic control options, Ashbrook recommends boric acid dust and d-limonene spray, which is made from citrus peels. He noted that these organic methods can be used safely around bodies of water.
Fire ants, with their complex underground nests and versatile omnivorous diet, are notoriously resilient. Officially known as red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta), they are native to tropical central South America and were introduced to the United States on a cargo ship in the 1930s. They’re considered a highly invasive species.
For more information, check out two free publications from the Ag-Center: “Louisiana Home Lawn Series: Red Imported Fire Ant” at https:// bit.ly/lafireants and “Managing Imported Fire Ants in Urban Areas” at https://bit.ly/urbanfireants.
