How do you get rid of fire ants? It all comes down to timing and using the right insecticide.
Fire ants aren't like other ant species. They're highly aggressive and invade both urban and rural areas. They're invasive and pose a risk to people, pets, livestock and machinery. They're so invasive, in fact, that the University of Tennessee Extension Service estimates nearly 367 million acres in the southeastern U.S., California, New Mexico and Puerto Rico are infested with fire ants.
The larger the acre, the more fire ants there are. And the more fire ants there are, the harder and more costly it will be to treat the problem.
It takes a careful plan to kill fire ants while preventing them from reinfesting your property.
That's where Antixx Fire Ant Bait comes in.
What is Antixx Fire Ant Bait?
Antixx is one of the most effective fire ant killers available. It's made with spinosad as the active ingredient and labeled for broad usage in rangelands, pastures, farmsteads and gardens. It can even be used in golf courses, playgrounds and lawns because it's gentle on the environment but harsh on fire ants.
It's a naturally occurring soil bacterium that works quickly and effectively to kill fire ants, eliminating the mound within 24 hours of application. It also kills the queen, so there's no worry about a second mound popping up in the same spot.
How Does Antixx Fire Ant Bait Work?
The active ingredient spinosad works quickly, usually within 24 hours of application. It kills the workers, soldiers, flyers, queen and the entire mound. Its mode of action involves altering the function of GABA channels in the ants, which results in overexcitation of their nervous system.
What happens next is involuntary muscle contractions, violent tremors and total paralysis, ending in death.
It works by ingestion and contact in most cases, making Antixx an effective fire ant bait for treating minor and severe infestations in lawns, pastures and more.
Is It Only for Fire Ants?
Antixx is labeled as a fire ant bait, but it's also effective against other ant species, especially harvester ants. It can be used in residential, commercial and recreational settings to knock out fire and harvester ants throughout the landscape.
Keep in mind that total fire ant control is not always achievable. That's because you may not always know where they are. Just because a mound is present in one area of the property doesn't mean there aren't more mounds being built below the grass line.
It's not always economical to treat an entire property for fire ants. Rather, it's more important to tackle the visible mounds head-on. Antixx does that with effective results.
When are Fire Ants a Problem?
Most of the year.
As soon as the soil warms up, fire ants don't stop foraging until October at the latest, maybe even later than that if it's an unusually warm fall or winter.
You see, fire ants don't just build mounds in residential yards. They also infest the interiors to look for food and water. They do this particularly when it's a hot dry summer or during very rainy days, especially when it floods.
One of the major problems with fire ants isn't their aggressiveness, but their tendency to infiltrate electrical equipment.
You may have heard about Rasberry crazy ants infesting electrical appliances, HVAC systems and other equipment. They build nests in the equipment and chew on insulation, causing short circuits. This can lead to power outages, equipment failure and risk of fire in some cases.
Antixx attacks the nest from the inside out, getting rid of fire ants within 24 to 36 hours.
Not only that, but it also prevents reinfestation for up to two months.
Antixx Fire Ant Bait for Livestock Owners
The best way to kill fire ants in your pasture is to map out the area where the greatest need to treat fire ants is and to develop a sole plan for each location.
Some of the most important locations to use Antixx broadcast bait is:
- Rangelands where livestock are born
- Hunting enterprises for wildlife habitats
- Hay pastures where fire ant mounds damage equipment
These areas are usually quite large, so it's very expensive to treat every single mound. Though you may not be able to eradicate every single fire ant on your property, you can monitor the ants, use repeat applications at the right times, and manage the populations at more tolerable levels.
When's the Best Time to Treat Fire Ants?
It's all about foraging when it comes to fire ants.
They prefer sunny areas where it's open and they're free to roam. However, they don't often forage during the middle of the day when it's hot. That means you want to apply the bait:
- Early in the morning or late in the afternoon
- If it hasn't rained within 24 hours of application
- If you haven't cut hay recently
If you've just cut hay or plan to cut the hay, don't apply the bait. It can decrease the ants' foraging efforts and make them move to a new location temporarily.
The Best Time to Use Fire Ant Bait
You'll want to apply Antixx when it's warm but not too warm, typically between 70 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Remember this: Just because you see fire ants roaming around doesn't mean they're foraging. It could mean they're trying to warm up.
So if you want to see if they're foraging, try this trick: Lay out a potato chip in their area. If they cover it within 30 minutes, they're foraging.
That tactic brings up another point.
How do you know if your bait is fresh or not? Use the potato chip trick again.
Lay out some chips and bait at the same time. If the fire ants go after the potato chip and not your bait, chances are your bait isn't fresh.
If they don't go after the chip or the bait, they're not foraging at all.
You'll want to keep the bait fresh so that it remains effective for longer. How do you keep it fresh? Follow these simple rules:
- Use the bait as soon as you open it.
- Keep it sealed tightly at all times.
- Try to use it within the same season of purchase.
- Don't leave it in a hot place or it will degrade.
The Benefits of Using Antixx to Kill Fire Ants
It takes an effective bait to kill fire ants. Antixx is the go-to solution for pest control professionals, farm owners, DIY lawn care and more who want to control fire ants before they get out of control. Some of the main benefits of using Antixx to control and prevent more fire ant infestations include:
- Fewer personnel and animal stings
- More palatable grazing for livestock
- Reduced risk of equipment damage
There you have it. These are just a few reasons why you should use Antixx Fire Ant Bait to kill and prevent fire ants on your property. These pests aren't biased. They will infiltrate urban, rural, industrial and recreational areas.
Using Antixx at the right timing and with the right application rates will eliminate mounds, kill the queen and stop reinfestations for up to two months. It's the perfect ant killer for treating fire ants and harvester ants on home lawns, commercial properties, industrial landscapes, farms, recreational areas and more.