Preventative Treatment in the Fall Keeps Fire Ants at Bay in the Spring

(ARA) – As the summer months come to a close and autumn sneaks in, homeowners in the southern United States know one thing is for sure: Fall brings not only more comfortable weather, but also an increased fire ant threat.

A potential health risk to families and pets, fire ants can damage everything from electrical equipment to roads. During the fall months homeowners can take control of their yards by implementing fast-acting and long-lasting methods to make sure fire ants are put out of business for an entire year.

Fire ants present a year-round risk, which means homeowners must be prepared to deal with them 365 days a year. Fall activities, such as yard work, raking leaves, and clearing gardens put people in harm’s way; fire ants can hide under fallen leaves and branches, mulch piles and more. Cooler weather draws fire ants from their underground havens, putting humans in much closer proximity to them than any time during the year.

Fall is a perfect time to apply treatment to fire ants because the weather is much easier to predict than in the spring or summer, making it less of a guessing game as to when to begin treatment. With lower temperatures, fire ants are more prone to be out foraging, giving a better opportunity to treat the entire colony. By October, the fall mating flight of the reproductive male and female has already occurred, making fire ants less apt to migrate. With scenarios like this, treatment is a must.

“Fall is a great time to treat because the ants are usually coming out of summer stress,” says Charles Barr, fire ant specialist and principal of Barr Research and Consulting in Bryan, Texas. “The colonies have died back some and they’re just plain hungry.”

With fire ants out and about looking for food, homeowners have ample opportunities to strike. One way to target the pests is to use a combination of an individual mound treatment, which kills visible colonies, with a broadcast treatment that takes care of mounds and ants that can’t be seen. The makers of Over ‘n Out Fire Ant Killer have created the Over ‘n Out Two-Step Method, a sure-fire way to control the little buggers. By implementing the Over ‘n Out Two-Step Method, homeowners are guaranteed the fastest-acting, longest-lasting control.

“Using baits alone won’t work,” says Barr. “Using a one-two punch, such as the Over ‘n Out Two-Step Method, gets results you are looking for.”

The first step to the Over ‘n Out Two-Step Method is to use Over ‘n Out Mound Treatment on fire ant mounds that are visible. A decrease in fire ant activity can be seen in as few as three days. The goal of the individual mound treatment is to kill the queen, making it nearly impossible for the colony to reproduce.

After applying step one, wait a few days and follow up with Over ‘n Out Broadcast Granules. The broadcast treatment can be distributed by a spreader across the whole yard to target mounds that can’t be seen. Once the Over ‘n Out Two-Step Method has been administered, control of fire ants lasts all year long, with results visible in as few as three weeks.

For homeowners looking to go the extra mile and stamp out fire ants in an entire neighborhood, all that is required is collaboration between neighbors so that there is a continued and concurrent effort to treat for fire ants.

“There are a number of benefits to neighborhood programs,” says Tim Davis, fire ant suppression specialist with Clemson (S.C.) University. “The larger the treated area, the longer the dormant period lasts. A coordinated effort between neighbors makes the treated areas bigger, making it harder for fire ants to re-colonize.”

For more information, please visit www.fireantfree.com or the FireRANT! blog at http://blog.thefirerant.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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3. A Beautiful Landscape Starts in the Fall
4. Creating a Fall Space
5. Three Simple Steps to a Fresh Fall Landscape and Garden

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