What are red imported fire ants? What makes them different from Texas native ants? Red imported fire ants or Solenopsis invicta are medium-sized red and black colored ants that build mounds of soft soil. Mounds are rarely larger than 18″ in diameter. In cold, dry areas such as the High Plains of Texas, mounds are usually much smaller and harder to detect. When disturbed, fire ants emerge aggressively, crawling up vertical surfaces, biting and stinging “all at once”. Their sting usually leaves a white pustule on the skin…. Read More →

Have you two-stepped with fire ants lately? And we don’t mean an ants-in-your-pants dance. We mean the currently best proven approach to effectively manage fire ants, called the Two-Step Method. This approach works best in fully infested areas (five or more mounds for each quarter-acre of yard) or where there is little or no concern for preserving native ant species. Two-stepping includes broadcasting a bait insecticide over your entire yard sometime between late August and mid-October, and then treating individual, problem mounds with an approved mound drench, granule,… Read More →