What is the recommended method to control fire ants?

The recommended method to control fire ants involves broadcasting a bait, followed by individual mound treatments. This approach is effective because using bait allows the ants to consume a slow-acting insecticide and take it back to the colony, which helps to eliminate not just the mound being treated but the queen and other ants within the entire colony. Baiting can effectively reduce the population over time when applied correctly.

After broadcasting the bait, individual mound treatments can be used for immediate control of visible ant mounds. This combination targets fire ants at different life stages and helps to ensure that both the colony and the foraging workers are addressed, resulting in a more thorough and persistent control strategy.

The other methods, such as only treating individual mounds or relying solely on granular insecticides without baiting, do not provide the same level of effectiveness in controlling the entire colony. Keeping areas dry and free of debris may prevent fire ant nests, but it is not a complete control strategy, as it does not specifically target the ants that may already be established there.