Native to South America, but introduced to Australia over 20 years ago, fire ants are considered a serious agricultural pest.

They are reddish-brown coloured, with a rear segment that is usually dark brown and can range from 2-6mm in size, depending on their role in the colony. Winged fire ants can fly up to 5km away from the nest to expand the colony.

Known to feed on various crops including corn and soy, fire ants also have an appetite for okra, potato tubers and citrus fruit. However, these hungry insects are experts at scavenging insects, honeydew produced by aphids, flies, fly larvae, decomposing animals, seeds, as well as oily and sugary products.

With a unique behaviour of swarming their prey, they have strong jaws to secure their victims, and use painful stingers to inject venom. They can be particularly aggressive if their nest is disturbed, and are able to sting multiple times.

Fire ants can survive all year long, in climates that range from below freezing, to the relentless heat of droughts and even high rainfall.

Getting stung is definitely not pleasant, so it’s important know how to spot a fire ant infestation as quickly as possible. Here are the most common signs that you may have a fire ant problem:

You’re noticing a lot of fire ants around

If there’s more fire ants than usual, especially if they’ve managed to make it indoors, there’s a good chance that you may have an infestation on your hands.

Ant trails

If you see fire ants marching in lines along a well-defined path, this means that fire ants are foraging for food and living in a nest nearby, typically within 30m away.

Fire ant mounds

Found out in the open and resembling piles of disturbed dirt, with a flat or rounded top, fire ant nests can reach between 30-40cm high and 30-90cm in diameter. Unlike other ant species, there isn’t a clear hole or entry point at the apex.

Fire ants usually enter and exit their nest through underground tunnels with entry points that may be up to 30 feet away from the mound.

Depending on the weather, fire ant nests can look different. In warm climates or during drought, their nests might appear as small areas of loose soil. When the temperature drops, or there is rainfall, their nests may be more obvious and look larger in size.

Droppings

You may notice small granules, like sand or coffee grounds, which are brown, beige or black in colour scattered around your home or yard.

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, a fire ant outbreak can be hard to manage without professional assistance. At Allstate, we have a range of targeted treatments, which are approved by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) for safe use around your home.

Fire ant baits

Once consumed by foraging fire ants, the insecticide-laced bait is taken back to the colony and transmitted to other ants to destroy the colony.
Soaked in soybean oil, these baits are made of 1-2mm sized granules of corn grit and can be sprinkled near the nest itself, or scattered around the yard. Depending on the extent of the outbreak, way may use different types of baits. They contain the following chemical ingredients to stop ants in their tracks:

• Insect growth regulator baits are made from s-methoprene or pyriproxyfen. They are effective in reducing the ant population by stopping their life cycle and can take up to 3-4 months to have their full effect
• Fast acting insecticide usually consists of indoxacarb or hydramethylnon and pyriproxyfen. It typically takes only 1-4 weeks to reach their maximum effect

Direct nest injection

As the name suggests, we can directly apply fipronil, a strong insecticide liquid, to fill all the chambers of the fire ant nest as a fast solution to treat an outbreak. However, the treated area must not be disturbed for 24 hours, and the ground and its surrounds must remain dry and undisturbed for at least 7 days.