Take the Heat Out of Louisiana Fire Ants!
When you live in Southeast Louisiana, chances are fire ants are also enjoying the climate and environment of the Pelican State. While these industrious insects stay busy establishing their own home base, they can also cause damage to your home or business.
Fire Ant Facts
Most everyone has dealt with ants running willy nilly inside and outside, but not everyone has had to deal with dreaded fire ants. Not only do they thrive and survive in harsh and unfriendly conditions, but the fiery red insects have no problem providing a painful burning, stinging bite anytime their space is invaded. For those with allergic reactions, fire ant bites can be harmful or fatal.
Fire ants primarily set up their colony, which can maintain thousands of worker ants, in the ground, where ample moisture is available. They are aggressive when it comes to not sharing their territory with other insects and may bully or attack them to maintain dominance over the area where their colony is located. For anyone or anything, such as a pet or area wildlife that disturbs the mound, also referred to as nests, a swarm of fire ants from within the nest will immediately emerge and viciously attack the offender.
Mound Identification
A fire ant colony can be identified by the clearly visible mounds of soil situated above ground. Worker ants will have excavated the soil beneath the ground creating either a flat or dome-like mound of soft soil, which the ants enter and exit through tunnels they have created around the base of the mound. Beneath the mound, the ants will create a series or network of tunnels that can go deep into the ground to access water and utilize the temperature most advantageous to ensuring the development of the young.
Fire ants are known to migrate, which means they may move from the front yard to the backyard or from one side of the yard to the other in a short time. They have also been known to set up housekeeping inside a wall cavity, for example, in a home or business.
Colony Inhabitants
Colonies consist of the queen, which has an average lifespan of seven years, and the ability to lay more than 1,000 eggs in one day. The males, also known as drones, are responsible for mating with the queen. Worker ants keep the mound/nest clean, care for eggs, and look for food. A colony can consist of hundreds of thousands of workers.
Pest Control You Can Count On
When fire ants have made your property in Hammond their choice for a colony, it is important that the insects be removed before the colony can multiply into the hundreds of thousands of ants. With a call to our office, one of our expert technicians can address the issue with an inspection and a plan of action to cool down the heat of pesky fire ants. For a quick and efficient solution to fire ants, contact us via phone, email, or use our convenient online form to request an estimate.