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Fire ants are no doubt a major pest throughout the southern states. They reproduce quickly, their stings hurt, their nests are unsightly and many times they strike with no indication for concern. If you need to treat a fire ant problem in your yard or home, this article will explain all you need to know so that you can successfully get rid of fire ants for good. We also show you the products you’ll need…. (read more on fire ant control)

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I wаѕ tоld I hаvе fіrе аntѕ іn mу уаrd аnd nееd tо rіd оf thеm. Turnѕ оut I hаvе quіtе а fеw mоundѕ іn mу frоnt аnd bасk уаrd аnd dоn’t knоw whаt іѕ thе bеѕt mеthоd tо uѕе tо trеаt. Plеаѕе hеlр!

If you read through our FIRE ANT CONTROL article, you’ll learn that drenching the nests is no doubt the fastest way to take care of any nest. It’s instant, easy to do and if you use a gallon per mound, there is no chance of the ants relocating elsewhere in the yard.

The product you’ll use for drenching is CYPERMETHRIN. It’s easy to mix and apply and will enable you to get rid of all your ants in one afternoon regardless of how many mounds you might have.

Cypermethrin: http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/viper-cypermethrin

Fire Ant Article: http://www.fireant.com/fire-ant-control

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I have dogs and worry about viper cypermethrin hurting dog if they walk in the treated area.

Your fear is unfounded. Here’s why.

Much like bleach or ammonia, if you or a pet were to drink concentrated CYPERMETHRIN, it could make you sick. But even if you did, the chances are high you’d vomit it right up anyway because your body would reject the intake big time. The point here is that dogs, cats and any animal that could “eat” or “drink” this product won’t because it tastes really bad. Additionally, once it’s mixed, the mixture is so weak the net impact it can have on any mammal is negligible. It’s just way too diluted to do anything significant.

Also remember there are only three ways anything (like a chemical treatment) can get “into” a person or pet. We can either drink it (orally ingest it), breath it (inhalation) or touch it (dermal – through the skin). So in this case, if you do your treatments when the pets are out of the area, we can rule out oral and inhalation exposure. I say this because if you think about it, they could only orally ingest some if you left puddle of it for them to find. Since it could take 15-30 minutes for the treatment to dry, we always suggest you keep pets out for at least a few hours to insure this can’t happen. And in doing so, you’d be removing this possibility as a mode of exposure.

That leaves the dermal type of exposure which is how most exposures occur to pets anyway. In this situation, the treatment should be done through holes you make in the nest or fire ant mound. That means the product you pour into the holes should drain down and off the top of the soil. And in fact this is exactly what will happen when you follow our guidelines on how to drench. In doing so, there will be nothing left on top of the mound for them to contact. This means the risk of an exposure will be nil.

But lets say you want to spray cypermethrin all over  the lawn. This is a common way cypermethrin is applied. Well, even if you treated this way, the amount of concentrate would be dispersed over a large area and in doing so, it would be barely detectable let alone concentrated enough to impact any mammal like a person or dog. Remember, you’re mixing it at the rate of 1/2 ounce per gallon of water. And in this case, you’d be spraying it over a 500-1000 sq/ft area. This means that 1/2 ounce would be scattered so thin it’s amazing it can even impact any insect! In the end, there is no real danger or risk because the amount of product involved is so little.

Lastly, I invite you to view our our Safety Video which covers in great detail how to handle, mix and apply our concentrates. It’s the first video on the link below. This gives a good overview the risks associated with it’s use and if you follow the suggestions, you won’t be putting yourself, your pets or the local environment at any risk.

Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

Cypermethrin: http://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/viper-cypermethrin

Fire Ant Article: http://www.fireant.com/fire-ant-control

Safety Vids: http://www.fireant.com/product-safety

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We have a number of different fruit trees in our yard, and fire ants have been found on one of the citrus trees. Is there a safe and effective product to get rid of these ants without “poisoning” the fruit as well? Thank you.

There are several organic options that can control fireants foraging or nesting on fruit trees. The best is the MULTIPURPOSE INSECT KILLER. Treatments won’t last long but the spray will kill them so if you hit them daily for a few days you should kill enough to shut down their nest. Alternatively, if you know where the nest is located, you can drench is as explained in our FIREANT CONTROL ARTICLE.

We also recommend spraying the yard down with some BUG PATROL. This is another organic spray that can handle ants. It’s best for large areas and comes in a “ready to spray” container that hooks to your garden hose. Use this around the trees; use the Multipurpose concentrate mixed with water on the trees.

Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

Multipurpose Insect Killer:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/organic/liquid/multi-purpose-insect-killer-24-oz

Fireant Control:  http://www.fireant.com/fire-ant-control

Bug Patrol:  http://www.bugspraycart.com/organic/liquid/bug-patrol-32-oz-rts

 

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I have been treating my yard for fire ants and seem to have them under control, however, I am now seeing signs of them inside the house, on the shower floor.  The shower has an exterior wall.  What is the most effective way to eliminate them?  Baits I use in the yard would take longer than I would want to have them around.
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Would appreciate any information you can provide.

Thanks!

If you take some time to read through our FIRE ANT CONTROL ARTICLE, you’ll see that most of the time we recommend “staking and drenching” with CYPERMETHRIN when nests are accessible and generally located outside the home. But once inside, things change. At the end of our article, you’ll see we recommend using the PHANTOM INSECTICIDE. This is definitely the way to go. Get it applied throughout the home and use some of the PHANTOM AEROSOL if you can’t use the liquid in all the places you’d like to treat. Personally I use the aerosol 99% of the time because it’s unique formula goes on “dry” so when applied properly, you can’t even tell anything has been sprayed. Of course I’m not treating an active problem since I use it all the time to prevent them from getting inside but if I did have a problem inside, I’d go with the liquid and the aerosol to get the best coverage possible.

Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

Fire Ant Control Article:  http://www.fireant.com/fire-ant-control

Cypermethrin:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page263.html

Phantom Insecticide:  http://www.bugspray.com/item/phantom_insecticide.html

Phantom Aerosol:  http://www.bugspray.com/item/phantom_aerosol.html

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Gentlemen, we want to eliminate fire ants from approximately 15 acres to promote a carnival. This will cover both people areas and parking areas. Will Viper work?

Viper is CYPERMETHRIN and indeed will work for fire ant control. I recommend drenching any fire ant mounds you see now as explained in our FIRE ANT CONTROL article. After all visible mounds are drenched and shut down, broadcast the Cypermethrin over as much of the 15 acres as possible. This treatment will be quick acting and should exterminate any unwanted insect activity for at least a few weeks if not longer. Cypermethrin goes a long way. 1 gallon of concentrate can treat over 8 acres so plan on using 2 gallons for broadcasting a spray. The amount you’ll need for drenching individual mounds will depend on how many mounds you need to treat. But with a little effort, you should be able to get the entire area fire ant free in no time. If you have further questions, please give us a call on our toll free at 1-800-877-7290.

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My sister said she was stung by fire ants when she lived in Texas. She has been out of Texas for almost 6 months now. She claims that the fire ants left their stingers in her legs. She says she is still removing the stingers. Is the so? Do the fire ants leave their stingers in their victims when they sting, and if so,would they still be in her legs after all this time?

Fireants are similar to wasps in that they have stingers which can deliver a toxin which can irritate the skin. As explained in our FIREANT CONTROL ARTICLE, they are able to sting over and over like wasps because their stinger does not “release” or stay in the skin. This does happen with many species of bees, like honey bees, because their stinger is barbed like a fish hook. But fireants do not have this barb so it’s generally not going to happen. This is also why they are such a menace; their ability to sting over and over is one of their strong points making them more of a problem when encountered since they have a never ending stream of stings that even one ant is able to inflict.

Now could a fireant stinger get lodged in her skin? Yes. But is it likely that more than one would at the same time? No. And even if one did, it would quickly break down and disappear within a few days and not be present after 6 months.

My guess is that she has some other insect sting lodged in her skin or maybe even some type of plant. There are many briar type plants which have barbed tips which enable them to both pierce the skin and remain lodged under it for some time. The list of possibilites is too long for this post. And if she is still being bothered at this time she needs to go visit a dermatologist who will be able to remove any foreign matter that’s present as well as provide some kind of ointment which would make any discomfort manageable.

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I have a large fireant mound in my front yard that just appeared. I knew they were in the region but have never had any on my property. How can I treat it so they don’t sting my family and what can I do to make sure they don’t come back?

Fireants are persistent and tough but they can be knocked out quickly with the right approach. If this is your first attempt at treating a mound, I suggest you first read our on line article about FIREANT CONTROL. As you’ll learn, one of the fastest ways to control any mound is by directly treating. This should be done by drenching. This way the ants can’t relocate.

And as our article explains, the best product to use for drenching is our CYPERMETHRIN. It’s quick acting, easy to mix and easy to apply. Just follow the directions explained in our article and you’ll be able to safely kill that mound in minutes.

Once you’ve treated the mound, let it settle and dry before you proceed on to step two. This next step is what you should start doing once every couple of months to insure no new ants build mounds in your yard. For this treatment, you’ll use some MAXFORCE GRANULES lightly applied on top of the grass. Foraging ants in your turf will find it, eat it and die. Applications can last 1-2 months and should prevent new colonies from being established and a little bit goes a long way. At 1 oz per 1800 sq/ft, it only takes 1.5 lbs to treat an acre so it’s quite cost effective. For fireants, there is no better bait.

Here are direct links to the information and products listed above:

Fire Ant Control:  http://www.fireant.com/fire-ant-control

Cypermethrin:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page263.html

Maxforce Granules:  http://www.bugspray.com/catalog/products/page262.html

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I’m about to apply the maxforce granules in my yard and I’m wondering how do you spread 1oz. over 1800 square feet? I’ve read your fireant control article and did the drenching which worked great. Now I want to stop new ant mounds from appearing so I want to apply this stuff properly.

If you ordered the 10 oz or 6 lb jar you’ll notice the top has a flip lid. One side is for bulk applications but the other side has small holes through which only a slight amount will flow when “sprinkled”. It’s best to walk around tipping the jar ever so lightly so a “dash” comes out here and there. Though this might seem like nothing at all, to an ant every granule is a lot of food. If you monitor the level in the jars, you can gauge when you’ve applied the right dose as you move about sprinkling it out.

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I’m looking for a good fire ant insecticide to treat some mounds in my yard. I don’t want to bait them; I want a quick kill. Can your cypermetrin work for me?

Fire ant mound drenching is very effective. It will kill the entire colony quickly and it’s easy to do as described in our fire ant control article. Use the Cypermethrin after creating some entry holes with our Staking Tool and you’ll be able to kill the mound instantly.