If you're dealing with a fire ant infestation, consider drowning the colony in boiling water, drenching it in insecticide, or using store-bought traps and baits. If that doesn't work, call a professional exterminator.

When threatened, fire ants will swarm a person or animal, latch on with their jaws, and begin stinging their target repeatedly. Their stingers contain potent toxins that cause a burning sensation along with welts, rashes, and pustules. Fire ant stings are quite painful, and they can even be deadly if you're allergic.

That's why acting quickly to eliminate a fire ant colony is so important. Since they're considered a harmful invasive species in most areas, exterminating fire ants is also your ecological responsibility.

To help your get rid of these pests,

Jerry

—the

super app

and

home insurance

expert—will walk you through everything you need to know about getting rid of fire ants—from how to recognize and eliminate a fire ant colony to what to do if you're bitten and how to protect your house from future infestations.

Let Jerry find you the best homeowners insurance policy for your needs

* checking your rate won’t affect your credit score

Shop Now

* checking your rate won’t affect your credit score

How to tell if you have a fire ant problem

If you notice your lawn strewn with mounds of dust, you may think ants are making your yard their home. However, normal ant hills have a center hole for the little invaders to climb into and out of. If that hole is missing, you may have a fire ant infestation.

That said, the easiest way to tell if you have a fire ant problem compared to other species of ants is by their behavior. You’ll find them up and about early in the morning and late in the afternoon. If you get too close to their nests, the fire ants will swarm and attack in unison.

What do fire ants look like?

You can recognize fire ants by their red coloring with a partially transparent blackish abdomen.

Fire ants also are a good bit smaller than normal ants, with an average size of 0.05-0.2 inches. Don’t confuse them with carpenter ants, which are dark red but much larger and not aggressive.

Where do fire ants live?

For the most part, fire ants are in southwestern states where it's warm. They sometimes make nests inside human dwellings, but you're more likely to find an infestation in your yard or outside your house.

Are fire ants harmful?

Much like a bee sting, a sting from a fire ant is excruciating and can be lethal if you're allergic. Unfortunately, fire ant attacks are also extra harmful to children and pets.

What attracts fire ants to your home

If you see fire ants in your home, they are probably coming in from an outdoor nest in search of food.

The primary source of food for fire ants is plant sugars, so they may be attracted to fruit, vegetables, or other unsealed produce. Even open dog or cat food can attract them.

MORE: How to get bugs off your car: A handy guide

How to get rid of fire ants

Fire ants are an invasive species in North America and highly damaging to the ecosystem, so you'll be doing nature a favor by stomping out these little devils.

Once you know where the fire ants are nesting, it’s time to destroy them! Be cautious, though—this isn’t like eliminating houseflies or cockroaches. When you take the fight to fire ants, they fight back! You’ll need to plan and prepare carefully, so look at some of the extermination strategies you can use.

Drown the colony using boiling water

The quickest and the easiest method to get rid of fire ants is also the riskiest. If you’re feeling bold and lucky, you can try eliminating the fire ants using boiling water. This method is fast, free, nontoxic, and works a little over half the time. Unfortunately, this is also the method most likely to result in you getting bit by the ants.

To start, boil 2-3 gallons of water. Then, with the water still boiling, approach the colony and pour it directly into the ant hill. If you’re quick, careful, and lucky, your fire ant problem will be over as easy as that!

Treat the colony directly with an insecticide

Treating a fire ant colony directly with an insecticide, or "drenching" as it's called, is a fast and effective way to eliminate a single colony of fire ants.

For safety, you'll want to use a

1-gallon hand sprayer

. Mix up a gallon of fire ant insecticide diluted with water in the sprayer. You can use any insecticide designed for fire ants, but we'd recommend using the one made by

Ortho

—it comes premixed and has a built-in sprayer. Here's what you'll do:

Spray in wide concentric circles, starting about 6 feet away and working your way in slowly

Allow each circle time to dry before moving in and making your next loop

Pay close attention the entire time since the likelihood of an ant counterattack increases as your draw closer to the colony

Once you reach the mound, pour a large quantity of the insecticide/water mixture directly into the mound

Spray the surface first to kill any ants already outside as well as those that might emerge

If all goes well, you’ll have an extinct fire ant population in no time! If it does not go well, be prepared to run, regroup, and try again.

Use a broadcast insecticide

There are slower and safer ways to deal with fire ants. For instance, using a broadcast insecticide or “granules” is a clever and effective way to kill off the colony. You can use any store-bought granules intended for fire ants, such as the one made by

Spectracide

Just toss the granules onto the ground, and you will fool the fire ants into thinking that the granules are food. They’ll gather up the poison and carry it back to the colony to share. After consuming the feast, the poison will take hold and the colony will die.

Purchase fire ant baits to kill the queen

Similar to broadcast insecticide, bait insecticide is another effective weapon. Bait insecticides, such as the one made by

Syngenta

, are easy to use. Just set the bait out near the colony and wait for the fire ants to carry the poisoned food back. It might take a while, but once the queen gets poisoned, the colony will begin to die.

Call a professional exterminator

Of course, battling an infestation of tiny, venomous, and hyper-aggressive insects is not how everyone wants to spend their weekend. If you’d rather just have the situation taken care of quickly and effectively—with little to no risk—all you have to do is call a professional exterminator.

However, this will be a more expensive option than doing it yourself. Typically, it’ll cost between $100 and $300.

MORE:

How to get rid of yellow jackets

What to do if you’re bitten by a fire ant

Most people think that the painful and burning welts that fire ants cause are from their bites. However, fire ants will sting you repeatedly with a barbed stinger, causing a painful reaction.

Usually, one or two fire ant stings are mostly just an unpleasant irritation. You can treat them the same way you would a bee sting—by icing them and waiting it out.

If you're stung by several ants, or if you might be allergic, the situation can be more serious. You'll still want to ice the wounds, but you should also take an over-the-counter antihistamine. Then, observe for any signs of a severe allergic reaction—beyond the typical swelling and pustules that fire ants cause.

If you do notice a reaction, or if you already know that you are allergic, seek medical attention right away.

How to prevent future fire ant infestations

As mentioned above, fire ants aren’t typically interested in coming into your home. They’ll only do so if you’ve left food out for any amount of time. You can easily prevent attracting fire ants by keeping a tidy house—especially in the kitchen.

Never leave unsealed food out and always use or dispose of produce promptly. Also, ensure that you don't have any standing water in your house, as that can also attract fire ants.

Will homeowners insurance cover fire ant removal?

No. Unfortunately, standard

home insurance

will not cover any costs associated with fire ants or damages they may have caused to your home. Home insurance providers don’t typically cover pest-related expenses since pests are viewed as a preventable peril and, therefore, the homeowner's responsibility.

MORE: Home insurance liability coverage

How to save money on homeowners insurance

Homeowners insurance may not be able to help you with fire ants, but there are countless other perils that it does cover.

That said, you don't need to pay a fortune for your home insurance policy. Most people could qualify for equal or better coverage for a fraction of their current premiums—if they only knew where to look.

Jerry

—the home and

auto insurance

broker and policy shopping

super app

—handles that part for you! In just 45 seconds, the app will pull and compare customized quotes from top name-brand providers to find you the best possible coverage for the lowest possible price!

The whole process only takes a few minutes and saves users an average of $800+ year—not to mention the massive amount of time it saves you!

“
Jerry
was wonderful! I used it for my auto and renters policies. I trusted it so much that I signed up my homeowners insurance under Jerry as well. All of the agents are amazingly nice and knowledgeable.” —Mary Y.

Let Jerry find you the best homeowners insurance policy for your needs

* checking your rate won’t affect your credit score

Shop Now

* checking your rate won’t affect your credit score

What is the fastest way to get rid of fire ants?

The fastest—and riskiest—way to get rid of fire ants is by pouring 2-3 gallons of boiling water directly into the colony. The odds of killing the queen and thereby ending the colony, are about 60%. Plus, your chances of getting bitten are pretty high. But if it does work, you’ll be able to end your fire ant problem in a few minutes without spending a dime!

What attracts fire ants to your house?

Fire ants are attracted by unsealed food—usually dog food or fruit left out. Keep things tidy to avoid inviting fire ants into your home.

Are fire ants dangerous?

Yes. Fire ants have a toxic sting that is incredibly irritating, painful at best, and potentially lethal at worst. Once bitten, the safest thing to do is seek medical attention—if it turns out that you're allergic to fire ant venom, you could be in danger.

What kills fire ants?

You can kill fire ants with boiling water or store-bought insecticide.

Save an average of 18% by bundling your home and auto insurance

Bundle your home and auto insurance with Jerry and save!

Try Jerry