| Fire Ants |
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Color is reddish brown, abdomen is darker Stinger is usually present and inflicts a painful sting. Feeding Habits Fire ants will feed on almost anything including oils, insects, animal carcasses, garbage, seeds and small birds and animals. Key Inspection Tips Fire ants are active foragers and forage in trails of up to thousands of workers. These trails can usually be located without too much difficulty along sidewalks and foundations. Pulling back the grass from along the edges of sidewalks, patios and the building foundation often reveals foraging workers and colonies which may be hidden from view. Fire ants will readily enter structures through exterior foundation cracks, weep holes and under doorways. Mounds are often built up to and covering weep holes where a fire ant may then enter the building, sometimes the precipitating of all or part of the colony moving into the building. Once inside a building, fire ants often forage along walls under the edges of carpets. When these ants are found indoors, the foraging workers should be followed back to the site where the colony is located. If the ants are entering and exiting from under the wall, the outside should be inspected along the foundation to see if the ants are coming from a colony located outdoors. Often, a fire ant mound is located against the structure, and the ants are entering through an exterior crack. Mulch in landscape beds are a common site for fire ant colonies. To avoid being stung, a small hand rake should be used when inspecting mulch for fire ant colonies. Mounds are often found at the base of trees and shrubs and in the crotches of trees. Any item in contact with the soil, such as logs, stones, firewood and other debris, could harbor a fire ant colony. Mounds of displaced soil are often present running along cracks on top of sidewalks and patios. Sprinkler heads and water and gas meter boxes are a common site to find colonies. Colonies in meter boxes often follow pipes into the structure, usually to the space beneath the bathtub (bathtrap). It is not uncommon to find large fire ant mounds inside a bathtrap. Contributing Conditions As with most ants, moisture is a limiting factor in the survival of fire ants. However, fire ants thrive in such a wide variety of habitats that it is nearly impossible to impact an infestation of these ants by attempting to limit moisture conditions alone. If conditions exist which result in excess moisture (e.g., poor foundation drainage or water leaks), they should be corrected. To help keep fire ants outside, it is also important to ensure that exterior cracks be sealed. Firewood should be stored off the ground and as far from your building as possible. Effective fire ant control requires professional help. Please call Vanish Pest Control to arrange for one of our Bay Area and Central Valley pest control experts to come help you exterminate your ant problems |
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