Looking for effective ant remedies? Not all DIY pest control methods are effective. Here are some ways to prevent fire ants from taking over your lawn.
Ineffective vs. Effective Methods To Kill And Prevent Fire Ants
When homeowners first discover they have fire ants, the first thing they typically do is try every home remedy under the sun to get rid of them. But just when you think you’ve gotten rid of them, you discover a new mound somewhere else on your lawn. This is because while some fire ants succumb to home remedies, many do not.
The internet is full of advice for how to kill and prevent fire ants, but there are many home remedies out there that just do not work. Some ineffective (or downright dangerous) methods include:
- Instant grits
- Drain cleaners
- Baking soda
- Chlorine bleach
- Plaster of Paris
- Vinegar
- Acid
- Gasoline
- Aspartame
- Club soda
- Diesel oil
- Molasses
- Ammonia
Just how effective are home remedies for getting rid of fire ants? Not very. Fire ants have a mind of their own. They may respond to home remedies and go away with little resistance, but most of the home remedies floating around on the internet are a waste of time and money.
The Benefits Of Investing In Professional Pest Control
Troubleshooting home remedies to get rid of or prevent fire ants is time-consuming and hardly foolproof. Just when you thought you finally got rid of them, you discover a new mound somewhere else on your lawn. What’s more, you might damage your lawn in the process of experimenting. Thankfully, pest control experts know how to tackle fire ants without compromising the health of your grass and soil.
In order to get fire ants under control, your pest control expert may use mound treatments or entire lawn treatments. Both of these methods attack the colonies by killing the queens (who lay the eggs). If an ant comes into contact with one of these treatments or ingests it, it will die.
Seasonal lawn treatments are probably the most effective and budget-friendly method available to prevent fire ants. Your pest control technician will spread an insecticide across your entire lawn, keeping fire ants at bay for the entire season. This treatment is lawn-friendly and won’t ruin your grass or soil.
Mound treatments are slightly less effective and come in bait or dust form. Ants are picky (and smart), so if the treatment gets wet and spoils, they won’t eat it. Additionally, mound treatments only protect the area they are applied. Between these two flaws, you’re constantly reapplying. That being said, mound treatments can be effective if you keep up with the applications. All an ant has to do is bring the poison to the queen ant. She eats it, dies, and without her reproduction, the colony dies out.
Don’t Feel Bad For The Fire Ants.
If you feel even the smallest tinge of guilt for killing fire ants, don’t. Steve Bender with Southern Living puts it in perspective:
“People with allergies can die from anaphylactic shock after a single sting. Small children stung dozens of times have died. Fire ants also take a tremendous toll on livestock and other wildlife, especially ground-nesting birds. So we are justified in wanting to kill them before they kill us.“
Don’t feel bad or procrastinate getting your fire ants under control. It might sound cruel to disturb creatures that are just minding their own business. But all it takes is one instance of your child grabbing a handful of an ant pile (thinking it’s “just dirt”) to change your mind. As if the painful bites weren’t bad enough, there’s always a risk for anaphylactic shock and even death. This is why fire ant prevention and eradication is so important!