AgriLIFE Extension -Denton County

                                                                                                                                                                   306 N. Loop 288, Suite 222

                                                                                                                                                                     Denton, Texas 76209-4887

April 11, 2008                          

FIRE ANT BAITS PROVIDE EFFECTIVE CONTROL

 Contact:  John N. Cooper, County Extension Agent-Horticulture, 940.349.2883

  e-mail: jn-cooper@tamu.edu

          Fire ants are responsible for more than $1.2 billion in economic losses in Texas each year.  It now looks like we may never get rid of them entirely but at least we have the tools we need to manage them in our own landscapes and now is the time to apply them.

          Proper timing of fire ant bait applications coincide with their highest breeding and feeding activity during the periods of April-May and September-October.  Two bait applications per year are usually enough although four applications may be required with  spinosad and hydramethylnon baits.

          Baits containing hydramethylnon, fenoxycarb, abamectin, pyriproxyfen, spinosad, indoxacarb, or methoprene, distributed through a broadcast seeder at the rate of one to one and one-half pounds per acre or about one-half ounce per 1000 sq. ft. will provide 70 to 90 percent control within 2 to 12 weeks.  Apply baits when the air temperature is 75-90 degrees and the ground is dry, with no rain or heavy dew expected or irrigation applied within 24 hours after treatment.

          Apply baits uniformly across the treatment area to insure foraging worker ants equal access to the bait.  Individual mounds may be two to three months old before they are big enough to see.  The beauty of baits is that they control all the mounds including the ones you can’t see.  If you only treat individual mounds, new mounds will always be “popping up out of nowhere”.

          In high traffic areas where control is desired within one or two days, treat individual mounds with products containing the active ingredients, cyfluthrin, deltamethrin, carbaryl, acephate, permethrin, pyrethrins, or rotenone.  Over n’ Out™ containing indoxacarb is a fast-acting broadcast bait that is also effective for quick knockdown of individual mounds.  At least one “organic” material, d-limonene, a citrus oil extract, has been proven effective as a mound treatment when used according to label directions.  When using a broadcast bait and individual mound treatments in the same area, apply the bait three or four days before you treat individual mounds to allow assimilation of the baited control agent before you disrupt their feeding habits with a contact insecticide.

          Until a few years ago, we could use fireant baits only at the perimeter of the vegetable garden.  Now, four baits, Extinguish® (methoprene), Esteem (pyriproxyfin), Amdro (hydramethylnon) and Green Light® Fire Ant Control with Conserve (spinosad) can be broadcast inside the garden.

          If the bait is stale, it will surely fail.  Buy only as much bait as you need at the time.  Test the material by sprinkling fresh bait granules in front of foraging ants.  If they pick it up, the bait will work.  If they don’t, buy a fresh batch.  Learn more at http://fireants.tamu.edu.

Public Garden Tour May 10

          Learn about gardening from genuine certified Texas Master Gardeners in a “Gardening for Pleasure and the Planet - Walk in the Garden Tour & Plant Sale 2008" being held for the general public from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 10.  This year’s tour will feature “Rica Potenz’s Sunny Natives Garden” at 3804 Long Meadow Drive in Flower Mound, Anita Maynor’s WaterWise Garden at 355 Oak Trail Drive in Double Oak (this stop has the plant sale), Janet Gershenfeld’s Secret Garden at 3 Whittier Court in Highland Village, Jenny Estes’ Riding-the-Rails Garden (Jenny won “Junior Master Gardener Program of the Year” and “JMG Leader of the Year” awards from the State Master Gardener Association in 2007 for this children’s fantasy learning garden), and Hilltop Elementary Garden (another Master Gardener children’s learning garden) at 1050 Harrison Lane in Argyle.  On the day of the tour, you can buy tickets at any of the stops.  Adults are $10 for the whole tour or $5 for a single stop.  Children 6-12 are $5 and under 6 are admitted free.  Buy tickets in advance at the Denton County Extension Office (940-349-2883), 306 North Loop 288 in Denton and save $2 on the adult ticket price.  Cameras are welcome.  Learn more at http://DCMGA.com.

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The information given herein is for educational purposes only.  Reference to commercial products or trade names is made with understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by AgriLIFE Extension is implied.

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Extension programs serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, disability or national origin. The Texas A&M University System U. S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating.