You can control red ants with fire ant poison. There are different brands of ant poison that you can choose from. However, before using any fire ant poison, make sure you know what kind you need for your area.
Fire ant poison is necessary to get rid of fire ants. This is especially effective to get rid of red imported fire ants because they are aggressive and can cause damage to property such as air conditioning units, buildings, telephone wires and even on plants.
Broadcast fire ant bait
One type of fire ant poison is a broadcast bait which can be treated over infested area at least two times a year particularly during the summer months. Baits are considered the least expensive way to control fire ants.
Ants are controlled in an area for a longer period as compared to individual mound treatments. Very little labor is required for the application for a broadcast fire ant bait. Baits pose very little toxic threat to people, pets and wildlife and only a few environmental hazards are associated with baits.
Individual mound treatment
Individual mound treatment is another option. A liquid insecticide can always be used as a fire ant poison which can be poured on the entire fire ant mound. The right volume of liquid insecticide can kill the queens while scattering the fire ant baits around the fire ant mount.
Drenching the fire ant mount can also involve the use of a rod to pierce through the mount and form vertical tunnels as a path for the liquid insecticide to reach the queens. However, caution must be observed whenever handling liquid insecticide.
How to apply fire ant poison
A fire ant bait can be applied in good weather or during a sunny day since the ants perform a considerable amount of activity this time of the day, after which they will crave for food. However, it is discouraged to place fire ant baits on target areas during an extremely hot weather and during rainy days where the ants won’t most likely source the bait.
The use of granulated ant bait will require ant bait insect plates where the bait can be kept dry while discouraging pets and even children from reaching it.
An example of commercially available fire ant poison is the Surrender fire ant killer which is available in a one pound container. Surrender fire ant killer is used as an agricultural fire ant insecticide which is enough to treat about 100 fire ant mounds. This fire ant poison contains 75 percent acephate and is considered very effective for fire ant control.
Another kind of fire ant bait is the Maxforce fire ant bait which contains the active ingredient Fipronil. The bait is carried by the worker ants to feed their queens and has the capability to exterminate an existing ant colony.