The Problem With Fire Ants On Your Houston Property
Many different types of ants call Houston home, but only one species, in particular, is capable of causing both physical, emotional, and fiscal damage.
Fire ants, also known as imported fire ants in Texas, are a species of non-native pest that are increasingly common in the southern United States. Apart from their fire red colorations and fearsome bites, there are a few ways to identify these creatures through a description alone:
Fire ants reach lengths ranging from 2 to 6 millimeters long.
Fire ants are separated into three distinct sections: a head, a thorax, and an abdomen.
Fire ants in Houston often have a copper or golden-red head with a darker abdomen that appears almost black.
Fire ants have the ability to both bite with their mandibles and sting with high concentrations of formic acid.
Fire ants can be extraordinarily dangerous creatures to have in the home or lawn, especially for those with allergies or a history of bite reactions. Since these creatures tend to group in large colonies, a single ant spotted on your driveway may hint towards a large infestation not too far away.
To make matters worse, fire ants are nearly impossible to get rid of in residential environments. Not only are they extremely hardy and difficult to destroy, but they quickly disperse and recolonize in the face of imminent danger. This allows the colony to survive almost any threat, including over the counter sprays, baits, boiling water, and other home remedies.
Protecting Your Houston Home From Fire Ant Activity
If you truly want to keep your home safe from fire ants and their damages this spring, you will need to apply some well-vetted prevention strategies. To understand how and why these techniques work, it will be important to first understand the proclivities of the fire ant on certain household factors.
Here are a few things that could be drawing fire ants closer to your property:
- Easy access to food sources such as crumbs, garbage bags, or poorly kept compost piles.
- A high amount of air or ground moisture could keep colonies well humidified and healthy.
- Plenty of wild space and tall grass that could hide the growth of new fire ant colonies.
Not all ant attractant factors on your property can be managed or eliminated on your own, but there are some steps that will reduce your chances for infestation before it occurs.
Manage all aspects of food processing in your home, from preparation to consumption to garbage removal.
Reduce the amount of food access pests can have in the home by sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming often.
Rely on airtight storage containers for food items.
If you are concerned that fire ants will be more of a problem than prevention can handle, get started down the right path now. Call Modern Pest Control for an inspection right away!
Flame Out The Fire Ants With Some Help From Modern Pest Control
Fire ants are both dangerous and hard to eliminate enemies in the modern Houston backyard. While prevention steps can go a long way towards managing fire ant spread, they are not always enough to prevent or destroy established infestations.
That’s why the safest and most effective way to deal with a fire ant infestation around your Houston home is to contact the professional team at Modern Pest Control. We mean business against bugs and are proud to be a protector of Texas homes and businesses for over 70 years. Call, click, or visit with us in person today at Modern Pest Control to secure the fire ant protection your family deserves.