In the News - August 2009
Hot, dry days reactivate fire ants
PINE BLUFF, Ark. - Sunshine, high temperatures and drying soil is prompting
fire ants to become more active, according to Don Plunkett, Jefferson County
extension staff chair for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.
"With recent wet and cooler conditions fire ants have stayed active but
somewhat hidden," he said. "Now as lawns, gardens and fields dry fire ants will
be very active and mounds are all ready popping up."
Time to consider control methods.
"Fire ant control programs are usually centered on a two-step program with
bait as the first step," he said. "When properly used, bait broadcast onto dry
lawns can become very effective in just days."
With use of a bait, fire ant workers forage and find the bait then carry the
granules back to mounds. The product is fed to the queen or queens in the mound.
That queen dies, stopping new worker offspring from developing.
After a bait has been broadcast, the lawn and any non-garden area or cropland
should be monitored for signs of new mound activity.
"If you see new activity, the second step should be to perform a mound
treatment," he said. Granules can be spread around the mound or the use of other
approved insecticides may be used.
As always, read and follow the label for any pesticide.
"Some insecticides for fire ants require watering in, but the baits do not
require watering nor should they be used when it is wet or when a rain is
expected within 24 hours," Plunkett said.
Most labels state that the mounds should not be disturbed prior to an
application of products. When mounds are disturbed the queen is moved quickly
away and may not be killed with a treatment.
Homeowners and property owners wanting to use insecticides other than baits
on the second step method should avoid overuse of a product.
"Too much product may mean wasted money and environmental problems if the
insecticide leaches into ground water or is washed into nearby storm drains or
streams," he said.
For more information on fire ant control contact your county extension
office, or visit us online at www.uaex.edu and search for
"fire ant."
The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the University of Arkansas
Division of Agriculture and offers its programs to all eligible persons
regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability,
marital or veteran status, or any other legally protected status, and is an
Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
August 21, 2009
Media Contact: Elizabeth Fortune
Extension Communications Specialist
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2120
efortune@uaex.edu
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