Fire Ant Killer & Control Products

How to Get Rid Of & Kill Fire Ants (Red Ants)

                                                                                                                           

•    First, you have to identify whether or not the ants you’re dealing with are fire ants. The best way to do this is to familiarize yourself with the characteristics of these insects. They are roughly the same size as other less harmful ants, and are a bright red color, which is one of the sources of their name. The other reason for their name is their propensity to bite people leading to symptoms of burning, stinging, and swollen red patches of skin.

For products and information about other types of ants, see our main ant control page.

•    Fire ant control products come in several different forms. The most commonly applied variety are the fire ant bait products. These baits are formulated to be attractive to the insects, leading them out of their burrows and into the traps that have been set. Once they eat the bait, they will not die instantly, but rather will take the poison back to their nest, sharing it with the other ants and leading to the destruction of the colony.

•    Fortunately, getting rid of fire ants is much easier than getting rid of some other pests (like termites), because they rarely enter a home. Thus, it is easy to target them where they live, in lawns and other vegetation. The application of fire ant poison directly on top of and in the vicinity of the raised mounds of dirt where they live is almost always sufficient to get rid of the problem.

•    Should the initial application not be sufficient, you will need to re-apply the poison or use an injector to apply it directly into the mound where they are hiding. As always follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how to kill fire ants both during the first use and any subsequent applications.

Fire Ant Bite Treatment

Getting Fire ant bites is the worst case scenario in dealing with these insects, and they can happen quickly due to the aggressive nature of the red imported fire ant. While their bites do sting and can be severely painful and widespread, they are usually not dangerous. The best fire ant bite treatment for red ant bites is to first wash the area with soap and water to kill bacteria. After that you should apply a soothing lotion such as calamine or Neosporin. This will reduce swelling and quicken the healing process. Additional treatment for fire ant bites is almost never necessary, unless you are allergic to them.
 

Fire Ant Pictures

Here are some pictures of Fire Ants to help you identify them.


Image via Pest and Diseases Image Library

 
Image via USDA ARS Photo Unit


Image via Kira Metz

 
Image via April Noble
 

Fire Ant Bite Pictures

Here are a few pictures of Fire Ant bites so you can see just how important it is to control these pests...


Image via Daniel Wojcik


Image via Murray S. Blum


Image via Jim Baker