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My husband and I are moving down to NC in a couple of weeks. He is concerned about the red ants. How bad are they and what should I do to keep them out of my yard? I have a very active 2yr old who loves to play outside
If you're talking about fire ants, I recommend having a lawncare company treat the yard for fire ants. I've done this the last two years, and it's been well worth the $130/year treatment for peace of mind. If a mound does erupt (post treatment, I've had about two to three mounds each year) you can call the company for a spot treatment, or treat it yourself. After a couple of years of not letting the kids play freely because they might end up with fire ant bites, I love how I can let them run free. The price will depend on the square footage of your yard.
I was on a hike today in Raleigh and saw several active Fire Ant mounds. I stuck a stick in making a very small hole. And, wow, the number of ants that came out of that hole! I toss a small stone next to the mound, and they all jumped the stone. It was something to see. Aggressive little buggers.
I found my first batch of fire ants on our property along a rock wall when I was clearing weeds. They did the same thing when disturbed. So, before my CA trip, I dumped some ant granules that I bought from the hardware store and disturbed the rock. Out came the ants and they jumped the granules.
Coming back from CA a month and a half later, I disturbed the rock again. No ants. So, now I'm wondering if the granules knocked them out or if they simply moved. Might be worth a try if you find them.
Coming back from CA a month and a half later, I disturbed the rock again. No ants. So, now I'm wondering if the granules knocked them out or if they simply moved. Might be worth a try if you find them.
They DO move their mounds! We've had a couple of fire ant mounds in our yard as well in the past 6 months. I used the commercial granules and within a couple of weeks, the mound appeared about 10 ft away from the previous ones. Having them professionally treated is really the only alternative. One of the only downsides we've found about living here.
We have had fire ants for several years and I have found that if you stay on top of treating the mounds they will eventually go away (until next year!). They do move their mound several times but we have had success by monitoring the situation closely and continuing treatment.
To answer the original post, they obviously are a problem and the bites are nasty. That being said it would not discourage me from moving to the area. The problem is treatable and the area has MANY other positives.
thanks for all the responses. I cant wait to move next week. Any recommendations on companies to do the treatments?
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