It is time for you to know everything about fire ants so that you can come up with strategies to help you end their infestation. You have to get up to speed on these insects and how they can affect your life if they bite you. Find out what fire ants are and how you can identify them inside or outside your home.
Learn about the life cycle that fire ants share to see their infestation’s severity within your home. Find out the main signs of an infestation that you can observe in fire ants to control them now. Finally, you have to learn how to get rid of these fire ants and how you can prevent them in your home.
What Are Fire Ants?
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They are very annoying insects that you can see inside or outside of your house, forming a colony where they host many ants. These insects are characterized by their very strong bite, rewarding their tiny size. You can see fire ants almost anywhere in the world. They like the heat and take refuge in their colony when winter approaches.
Although they are also the most dangerous when biting, these ants are the smallest of their kind. You can have an allergic reaction to fire ants that can ultimately end your life if left untreated.
Fire Ant Identification
A simple way that you can identify fire ants is by their red color with orange tones. These ants have a size of 3 mm at most, being one of the smallest in their entire species. They are ants that love heat and create infestations inside the home to be careful.
As fire ants are tiny in size, they can create their colony almost anywhere safe. Usually, these insects use a log on the ground as access to their home, debris, hollow trees, among other things.
Life cycle
On average, fire ants usually live from 6 months to 2 years, depending on many factors exposed in your home. These insects are usually very resistant to winter, although they also need to eat enough to survive. Fire ants also face their natural predators, such as the anteater and spiders.
Signs Of Fire Ant Infestation
In the first instance, you will know if you have a fire ant infestation at home because of the insect’s high presence. These ants are easy to see because of their red with orange hues that you can see as they move. Although its size is small, the color is not favorable to go unnoticed by your eyes.
The ants destroy everything around them, so if you throw food away, they may eat it. Everything you have in the garbage will be detected by the ants who will find a way to eat it.
Damage caused by fire ants
Outside the home, fire ants can cause serious damage to your plants, causing them to dry out completely. These ants will not see a plant because they will do their best to remove their leaves quickly. They are very hardworking ants who always think of their protection when the winter season arrives.
Inside the home, these ants can cause serious damage by devouring everything you leave behind and biting you if you intervene. You will be afraid of fire ant stings causing you to motivate yourself to stay away from them. They are very destructive ants that will detract from your property if you let them create infestations.
How to Eliminate Fire Ants Naturally?
For you to get rid of fire ants naturally, you need to apply some remedies such as:
Use mint
You can use peppermint to get rid of fire ants naturally inside or outside your home. It is good that you take some peppermint, combine it with water, and create a unique ant spray. You have to apply all the peppermint spray on the fire ant colony if you located it or where they make their way.
Garlic
Garlic has multiple uses in the kitchen and even gets rid of fire ants quickly. You can make a liquid based on garlic or place the natural element near the ants’ accesses. As the garlic smell is strong, you will observe how the insect moves away from the area and thus prevent an infestation.
Salt
Salt is also excellent against fire ants, and you can make two home remedies against them and their infestation. You can add salt at the access to the fire ant colony and also where they normally pass. To increase the results in eliminating red fire ants with salt, you must combine it with water and spray it on the affected areas.
Vinegar
Finally, you can apply vinegar in your home or in outdoor areas where fire ants are present. You only need to use vinegar with water or concentrate and apply it to the colony. These ants can suffocate on vinegar, causing them to take your home as a dangerous area to form infestation.
Also Read: How To Get Rid Of Ants In A Chicken Coop
How To Prevent Fire Ants?
If you have already got rid of a fire ant infestation, you need to know how to prevent them in the future with the following methods:
Eliminate vegetation close to home
If you want to avoid an infestation of fire ants, you can eliminate the vegetation in your entrances to the home. All the bushes you have in the window, front door, or back door must be eliminated so that these ants do not enter. You only need to clean in these green areas because although it seems beautiful to have, it also gives pests access.
Removes moisture at home
Moisture is the common attractant for fire ants, so you have to remove this from your home. You have to solve the humidity problems at home due to holes in the ceiling, water seepage in walls, etc. It is good that you contact professionals in the area to help you accommodate your home not to attract the pest.
Clean your garden and backyard
If you clean your garden and backyard, you will surely not suffer from pests, especially fire ants at home. These ants are attracted to dirt, debris, overgrown plants, and other elements you ignore.
Never let fire ants form a colony
You have to protect your home, and therefore, you must never let fire ants form a colony. These ants can create their colony in less than one week, so you must be careful to run them. When you see some fire ants at home, kill them with your hands, feet, or apply a home remedy such as garlic.
