Australia’s warm climate is like an open invitation for all kinds of pests: ‘come on in, the water’s great!’. Unfortunately, this also includes fire ants, which are one of the most invasive little pests you’re likely to meet. While they may look small, fire ants bring with them a significant and problematic threat to both your garden and your family – particularly if they decide to settle in and establish a colony around your property. If this happens, your lifestyle may quickly be affected, restricting your ability to comfortably enjoy your outdoor spaces (particularly in the summer!).

If you’re not familiar with fire ants and the threat they bring, here’s what you need to know, including how we use fire ant pest control treatments so they stay gone for good.

Looking for effective fire ant pest control? Start by understanding their types and behaviours

Understanding the complex life cycle of fire ants, including the different roles fire ants play in their colony, is crucial when you’re tackling an infestation. These pests, like many Australian critters, are known for their resilience. This can make them difficult to handle, meaning it’s more important than ever to treat them in a manner that’s going to deal with them permanently.

An individual fire ant nest could contain thousands of ants, with a colony that’s more than a year old capable of having as many as 10,000 ants call it home. By three years of age, an individual colony could hold as many as 100,000 individual ants. These ants are then grouped into three different roles: workers, alates, and queens. 

Worker ants carry the responsibilities of building the nest, providing safety, protection and care for the queen, and watching out for the overall colony. As an individual worker ant starts to get older, it transitions into maintenance, sanitation and colony defence before finally ageing into a forager. 

If you’ve ever disturbed a fire ant nest, it’s the worker ants you were likely to have met, as they’re responsible for rushing to the surface to defend the colony. The average lifespan of a worker ant ranges from two to six months, depending on its size. 

Alates are winged, fertile male and female fire ants. They enjoy the protection provided by the worker ants before leaving the colony to begin a mating flight. Once mating has taken place, a female alate will hunt down a new site for a nest, get rid of her wings, and start building her own fire ant colony. The mated male? He’s destined for death, leaving the female to begin her new reign as queen. 

Fire ant queens are the only reproductive females who live in a fire ant colony. They’re focused on reproduction and have a life span of up to 7 years. 

Safe, effective fire ant treatment

Trusted Pest Management has years of experience in providing high-quality and reliable pest control services throughout South-East Queensland. We pride ourselves on offering effective fire ant treatments that are also child, food, and pet-safe in their nature. We’re also accredited by the Queensland Government, supporting their efforts in eradicating fire ants from South-East Queensland. 

The fastest way to remove fire ants from your backyard or property, unfortunately, isn’t by waiting on government support. By reaching out to Trusted Pest Management, you can find rapid support that keeps fire ants from further invading your property. 

The first step in our battle against your new, unwelcome fire ant visitors is a detailed inspection. This is crucial, allowing us to gauge the extent of the infestation. It’s also where we gather the necessary information to create a unique treatment plan, assessing the situation and evaluating the best pathway in removing these pesky creatures from your outdoor living environments.

With any form of treatment, safety is paramount. We make the most of treatments that are going to keep your property (and its humans) safe in the treatment process.

Our work isn’t complete once the ants are eradicated. By implementing effective fire ant prevention measures, we ensure the long-term absence of fire ants to keep your property safe, establishing lasting protection against these pests.

What should residential property owners look out for?

It’s not just good practice to keep an eye out for fire ants at your property; in some areas, it’s actually required by law. Fire ants could cause severe damage if they spread throughout Australia, so any sign of fire ants at your property must be reported to the National Fire Ant Eradication Program.

You can help to keep your property and community safe by familiarising yourself with how fire ants look and act. Varying in size from 2-6mm, they’re easy to miss, but knowing how they behave can also help you to identify if you’re at risk from a fire ant infestation. Take a look at the Queensland Government’s guide to fire ants here to get a visual of how these tiny, but mighty, creatures look.  

Fire ant mounds can reach as high as 40cm, but can also be flat. They’ll most commonly appear as small patches of soil that have been disturbed without any obvious entry or exit holes. Lawns, pastures, roadsides, or cropland that are not in use can provide a welcoming home for a fire ant colony, as can the cover provided by objects like old timber, logs, pavers, or brick piles.

Of course, spotting fire ants is just step one of moving towards a safe, fire-ant-free environment. If you do spot these nasty insects on your property, your next step is to call in the experts, keeping you and your family safe from the danger their painful stings pose.

Conclusion

Finding fire ants on your property doesn’t need to be a cause for panic. In four easy steps, eradicate fire ant infestations and provide crucial aftercare that keeps your property safe from future invasions. Call us today to find trusted, safe and speedy fire ant pest control – we’ll take on the battle for you.