Fire ants are a menace

By MINDY POEHL | Central Texas Edition

May 6, 2004 -- Fire ants are a year-round threat to over 40 million people living in the southern states. Since the ants are difficult to kill and reproduce quickly, they are expanding northward and westward, infesting 320 million acres of land.

The most common threat of a fire ant is its' sting. Each year six to 12 peo;le are killed by fire ants.

"The sting can be fatal and many people are allergic to their venom," said Foster McWhorter, sales representative for Bayer Environmental Science. "Fifteen percent of people have severe allergic reactions to fire ants."

The sting of a fire ant is caused by venom injected by the ant's stinger, and it causes a burning sensation due to its high concentration of toxins.

Not only do fire ants cause a threat to humans, but they can also be a menace to small animals.

"Ants are attracted to newborns and can sting and kill animals like calves and quail," McWhorter said. "They are also a big problem with (deer) fawns."

Fire ants did not originate in the United States. They were introduced through the Port of Mobile, Alabama in the 1930's when shrubbery and grass sod were shipped to America. With their high reproductive rate, they soon encompassed Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Puerto Rico. Now, they are advancing into Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri and Virginia.

Fire ants are most commonly found in lawns, pastures and wooded areas. They are attracted to moisture, like lakes or irrigating yards.

The color of fire ants ranges from reddish brown to black, and they can easily be distinguished by a 10-segmented antenna, a stinger, a two-segmented abdomen and an unarmed tail.

"If you have any doubt about the ants being fire ants, stick a pencil into the mound and fire ants will swarm and attack it," McWhorter explained.

The mounds of fire ants are dome shaped and two- to four-feet wide. The mound is originally the size of a silver dollar but can grow up to two feet tall.

Fire ants are best treated in the spring when they are foraging (eating). The best way to decipher if the ants are foraging is to "take a Cheeto and put it by the ants," McWhorter said. "If the ants are actively feeding on the Cheeto 30 minutes later, then they are foraging."

Treatment options to eliminate fire ants include mound dusting, which kills the ants on contact; mound drenching, which mixes insectisides with water; or putting out baits when the ants are foraging.

"The baits last up to 90 days regardless of the product used," McWhorter said.

TopChoice is a new product developed by Bayer Environmental Science that kills fire ants for one year.

"A granular insecticide is applied over the entire yard," McWhorter said. "The ants take it back to the mound where it is transferred across the entire mound. "

TopChoice also eliminates mole crickets for four months and it kills fleas and ticks for one month.