A two-step fire ant program for Georgia properties: broadcast bait that works down into the colony, plus direct treatment of the mounds you actually walk past. Service available within 24 hours of purchase.

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A fire ant mound is not a problem you can wait out. Run a mower over one and the colony is out of the ground in seconds. Kids usually find them first, barefoot, and so do dogs.

Georgia is prime fire ant country. Warm soil, a long foraging season, and open sunny turf are exactly what imported fire ants want. Untreated ground commonly carries 20 to 30 mounds per acre or more, and every mound you can see sits on a colony that runs wider underground than the dirt pile suggests.

Why treating mounds one at a time does not work

Pouring something on a mound kills the ants you can see. The queen is usually deeper than the product goes, and disturbed colonies simply move. You treat a mound on Saturday and a new one shows up ten feet away by Wednesday.

Fire ants also refill ground that has been cleared. University research on treated areas shows populations can recover completely within 12 to 18 months once treatment stops. That is why we run this as a program on a schedule rather than a one-time visit.

How the program works

• Broadcast bait — Spread across the treated area, where foraging workers pick it up and carry it back into the colony, including to the queen. This is colony control, not surface knockdown.
• Direct mound treatment — Active mounds in the places you use most, such as play areas, walkways, the dog yard and around the patio, are treated individually so they are handled now rather than in a few weeks.
• Applications timed to foraging — Bait only works when ants are out looking for food, roughly when soil temperatures sit between 65 and 90 degrees. We time visits to that window instead of the calendar alone.
• Return visits between applications — New mound shows up between services? Call and we come back out.
• Written record of what was applied — You get told what went down, where, and any re-entry time on the label before we leave.

What to expect, and when

Baits are not instant, and anyone promising same-day elimination is selling something else. Depending on the product, mound activity typically starts dropping within two to four weeks, while insect growth regulator products work more slowly and reach full effect over a couple of months.

Properly applied broadcast bait programs are generally reported in the range of 80 to 90 percent suppression rather than total elimination. The honest goal is a yard your family can use, kept that way season after season.

Where we find them on Lake Oconee properties

• Open sunny turf — The middle of the lawn, and anywhere irrigation keeps the soil damp.
• Hard edges — Along driveways, sidewalks, curbing and slab edges, where the ground warms first.
• Dock and shoreline approaches — Paths down to the water, seawalls and boathouse aprons.
• Electrical and mechanical equipment — AC condensers, well pumps, landscape lighting and junction boxes. Fire ants nest in them and chew insulation, which turns a pest problem into a repair bill.
• Playsets, mailbox posts and fence lines — Anywhere a post meets warm soil and nobody looks down.

Larger property? That is a different program

Pastures, arenas, ball fields, HOA common ground and campus grounds are priced and treated differently, because grazed ground and turf carry different label restrictions and acreage changes the whole approach. See fire ant control for acreage and large properties.

Frequently Asked Questions

How fast will the fire ants be gone?

Mounds we treat directly go down quickly. The broadcast bait that handles the rest of the property works over weeks, not hours, with most products showing a clear drop in activity in two to four weeks and growth regulator products taking longer to reach full effect.

Will they come back?

If treatment stops, yes. Untreated neighboring ground reseeds your property, and populations can return fully within 12 to 18 months. That is the argument for a scheduled program instead of a single application.

Is it safe around kids and pets?

Products are applied according to the label, and the label sets the re-entry time. We tell you what we applied and how long to stay off the treated area before we leave. If you have specific concerns, tell us up front and we will select accordingly.

Can you treat near the water?

Some products cannot be applied where granules can wash into water. Shoreline, dock and drainage areas get a plan that fits those restrictions rather than the same product used in the middle of the yard.

Why not just buy bait at the hardware store?

You can, and it can help. The two places homeowners usually lose are timing and coverage: bait applied when ants are not foraging is wasted, and spot-treating mounds leaves the rest of the colonies untouched. Bait also has a shelf life and goes rancid, which is why half-used bags from last summer rarely perform.

When is the best time to start?

Any time the ants are actively foraging, which in this part of Georgia covers most of the year outside of cold snaps. Spring and early fall applications tend to do the most work.

Is fire ant service part of the Priority Pest Management Plan?

Fire ants are handled as their own program, because the products and the timing are different from general pest service. If you are already on a Priority plan, ask us to add fire ant service to your account and we will quote it for your property.

Related

Fire ant control for acreage and large properties · Priority Pest Management Plan · Pest control on Lake Oconee · Pest control in Greensboro, GA · Pest control in Eatonton, GA · Service

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