Fire Ant Control for Atlanta Lawns and Yards

Red imported fire ants are established across most of Georgia, and sunny Atlanta lawns, playgrounds and new sod are where they build mounds. Kicking a mound moves the colony. Baiting the yard is what reduces it.

Red-and-black ants crawling over bark and soil

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If someone has just been stung

Get away from the mound and brush the ants off rather than slapping them, since each ant can sting repeatedly. Wash the stings with soap and water and use a cold compress. The white pustules that form the next day should be left alone; breaking them invites infection.

If anyone has trouble breathing, swelling of the face or throat, dizziness or a large number of stings, especially a small child, call 911 first. That is a medical emergency, and it comes before any call about the ants.

Recognising fire ants

Fire ant mounds are loose, crumbly domes of soil with no single entrance hole on top, often appearing a few days after a heavy rain, and usually in full sun: lawns, road shoulders, the edge of a driveway, new sod. Disturb one and the ants pour out and climb fast. The workers vary in size within one mound and are reddish-brown. Native ants make neat mounds with a central hole and do not swarm out aggressively.

The two-step method

Step one: bait the whole yard

UGA Extension's recommended approach starts with a fire ant bait broadcast across the whole yard once or twice a year, typically in spring and again in fall when the ants are foraging. Workers carry the bait back to the colony, including mounds you have not noticed. Properly applied, broadcast baits suppress fire ants by about 90 percent. Bait works best on dry grass with no rain forecast for a day, and fresh bait matters, because stale bait goes rancid and the ants ignore it.

Step two: treat the mounds that are left

A few days after baiting, mounds near play areas, doors and walkways are treated individually. Treating mounds alone, without the broadcast, is what produces the pattern of mounds simply moving a few feet.

Patience

Some baits reach full effect in two to four weeks; growth-regulator baits take longer. A yard that still has a few mounds a week later is not a failed treatment.

Why they come back

Neighbouring yards, road shoulders and common areas reseed a treated lawn, and newly mated queens fly in after rain. That is why fire ant control in Atlanta is usually a recurring spring and fall service rather than a single job, and why neighbourhoods and HOAs that treat common areas at the same time get better results. UGA also cautions against broadcasting bait where there are only a few fire ant mounds, because native ants that compete with fire ants get knocked back too.

Call for a fire ant quote. Say roughly how big the lawn is and where the mounds are, and a local company will price a spring and fall programme.

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Common questions

When is the best time to treat fire ants in Atlanta?

Spring and fall, when the ants are actively foraging and will pick up bait. Mounds often appear right after heavy rain, which is a good reminder rather than a reason to panic.

Does pouring boiling water or gasoline on a mound work?

Boiling water kills some ants and often the grass, and the colony usually moves. Gasoline is dangerous and contaminates the soil. Neither is recommended.

Are fire ant treatments safe for pets?

Baits are applied at low rates and taken by the ants. Keep pets off the lawn until a granular or liquid mound treatment has been watered in or dried, and follow the label the company leaves.

Can fire ants get into the house?

Occasionally, through slab cracks or along wiring, especially during heavy rain or very dry spells. Indoor fire ants are worth a call because baits need to be placed carefully.

Who would come out to treat them?

A local company with a Georgia pest control licence, on a schedule you agree with them. Pinecrest Advisory Services, LLC operates this site as an advertising and referral service and applies nothing to your lawn.

Other pest work in Atlanta

Also serving

Fire Ants is available beyond Atlanta, across Decatur , Sandy Springs , Brookhaven and Smyrna .

Ask about fire ants

Say what you are seeing and where, and a local pest control company will follow up, usually within a few days for an inspection. Answered Mon–Sat, 8am–6pm · after hours we call back the next morning Or call (470) 665-4393 if it is a swarm in the house or a closing date this week.