Prepare to Treat for Fire Ants When Temps Rise

Fire ants may seem less threatening during the winter months, but their reduced visibility doesn’t mean they’ve disappeared. Understanding their behavior during colder months and taking proactive measures can help large operations stay ahead of fire ants come spring.

Fire ants are resourceful when temperatures drop. They move deeper into the soil to avoid lethal cold, often escaping temperatures that would otherwise kill them. Mounds located near buildings, roads, or other heat-retaining structures are more insulated from extreme cold. This allows some colonies to survive, even in otherwise harsh winter conditions. Even when some colonies die off in winter, others survive and thrive as temperatures warm. In optimal conditions, fire ant populations can rebound to their pre-existing levels or even exceed them, creating potential problems if left unchecked.

As fire ants emerge from their winter phase, spring is a critical time to treat. Baits should be applied when ants are active and foraging and when soil temperature is greater than 60 degrees. Let’s take a look at our prime treatment options for your plan to keep fire ants under control this spring:

Extinguish® Professional Fire Ant Bait and Extinguish® Plus Fire Ant Bait

Central Life Sciences offers fire ant baits that kill the queen and destroy the colony, preventing colony movement and relocation to help control problem ant infestations.

When you need fire ant control in orchards, vineyards and other areas planned for the production of fruits, nuts, berries or ornamentals, turn to EPA Tolerance Exempt, Extinguish® Professional Fire Ant Bait which contains (S)-methoprene, an Insect Growth Regulator (IGR) that impacts a fire ant queen's reproductive abilities. As existing workers die naturally, they are not replaced by a new generation. The queen eventually starves to death and the entire colony is eliminated.

Extinguish® Plus Fire Ant Bait combines the knockdown power of an adulticide, Hydramethylnon, and the long-lasting control of an Insect Growth Regulator (IGR), (S)-methoprene. The IGR sterilizes the queen and prevents repopulation, while the adulticide kills problem worker ants. This two-way action helps eliminate fire ants.

For more information on fire ants and how to control them, follow us on Facebook – Extinguish Fire Ants, and on X, @ExtinguishCLS.