Fire ants can be harmful to people and pets, destructive to your property, and unattractive on your lawn. Luckily, the professionals at Rivers Lawn and Landscape have the knowledge and resources to rid you of fire ants, guaranteed. Continue reading to find out why you should get in touch with us to schedule an application.
Not-So-Fun Facts About Fire Ants
- Each fire ant mound can contain up to 400,000 ants.
- The queens lay thousands of eggs per day, causing the colony to populate quickly.
- Just one acre of land can be home to up to 40 million fire ants.
- Fire ants’ colonies are mostly underground, and this can cause them to go undetected. Luckily, many colonies have visible mounds above the surface that can indicate an infestation.
- Fire ants love moist soil. Unfortunately, irrigated lawns can encourage them to populate.
Without properly identifying and treating these pests, you can put yourself, your family, and your landscape at risk.
Signs you may have a fire ant infestation
Are you unsure whether you need treatment for fire ants? There are some tell-tale signs to look out for. Keep reading to learn the most common signs of fire ant infestation.
Mounds with no Center Hole
One characteristic that is unique to fire ants is that their mounds do not have a center hole like other ant hills.
Mounds that appear after rain
If new mounds seem to appear after rain storms, you may have fire ants in your lawn. When the weather is hot and dry, the fire ants like to hide beneath the ground to stay cool. However, when rain comes, they make their way to the surface.
Painful Bites
Not all ants bite, and some are harmless to people. However, fire ants tend to bite: and when they bite, you know it. The bites swell and tend to be painful. If you notice any ants or unknown insects leaving painful bites, they may be fire ants.
Click here to learn more signs of fire ant infestation. If you are unsure whether you need treatment for fire ants, give us a call and we can inspect your property.
Fire Ants: Harmful Effects on Your Lawn and Your Family
Although fire ants are small, they are mighty. Fire ants pose a major threat to your plants’ and your family’s health.
How Fire Ants Endanger Your Plants
Fire ants are hungry insects. They feed on almost anything they can find, including the plants in your landscape. Here’s how they can damage the plants you’ve worked so hard to grow:
- High fire ant populations disrupt the ecosystem by encouraging plant damaging insects to reproduce and attack your plants.
- They can kill beneficial insects like honeybees.
- They burrow into vegetable stems, ruining your spring and summer vegetable garden.
Unless you take action against these pests, you could sacrifice the landscape and garden you’ve devoted time and money to.
How Fire Ants Endanger Your Family
Your yard is meant to be a place where you can relax, unwind, and make memories with family and friends. With that being the case, the last thing you want is for fire ants to ruin the fun. There are several reasons why fire ants are dangerous to you and your family:
- Fire ant bites are incredibly painful. They result in a stinging, needlestick sensation that is impossible to ignore.
- Fire ant bites can cause small blisters to emerge. This can lead to scarring that can remain on your skin for the rest of your life.
- Fire ants tend to all bite at once, leading to more pain and more damage to your skin. Additionally, this can cause you not to notice the fire ants are on your body until they bite.
- Some individuals are allergic to fire ants, and sometimes they are not aware until an attack occurs. In rural areas like Pageland and Jefferson that do not have immediate access to a hospital, this can be a major risk to your family.
Benefits of Hiring a Professional to Treat for Fire Ants
Top reasons you should hire a professional like Rivers Lawn and Landscape to treat your property for fire ants:
- Licensed applicators are trained in safe chemical application.
- We keep up with the application schedule, and we’ll give you a call when it’s time to reapply. This way, you’re never left unprotected.
- Since we buy professional products in bulk, it is often cheaper to let us treat your property instead of purchasing fire ant bait from a big box store.
- As long as you’re on our program, your property is guaranteed to be fire ant-free.
What does it cost to hire Rivers Lawn and Landscape to treat for fire ants?
Rivers Lawn and Landscape is committed to providing professional service at the greatest value to you. So, we provide the following options for treatment:
Click here to read more about the services we offer.
How much can I save by hiring a professional?
After learning of the cost, some homeowners decide to take fire ant treatment into their own hands. However, treating for fire ants yourself can actually end up being more expensive than allowing the professionals to take care of things.
Take a look at what these common products from Lowe’s would cost you to treat 1 acre of your property. Then compare it to Rivers Lawn and Landscape’s price.
Over n Out $189.40 + tax
Ortho Fire Ant Killer $169.46 + tax
Amdro Yard Treatment $95.75 + tax
Rivers Lawn and Landscape $85.00
With an average savings of over $60 per acre, it’s clear that Rivers Lawn and Landscape is the better and safer choice than trying to handle things on your own.
Benefits of Hiring a Professional to Treat for Fire Ants
Not only can treating for fire ants yourself be more costly, it can be more dangerous. Keep reading to learn more benefits of hiring a licensed professional to treat your property for fire ants
Professionals are landscaping experts
The professionals at companies like Rivers Lawn and Landscape have extensive knowledge on how the chemicals we apply will affect your plants, grass, and trees. If you attempt to apply fire ant control yourself (or if you hire an unlicensed person) you run the risk of using the wrong chemicals and endangering your landscaping.
Safer for your loved one
At Rivers Lawn and Landscape, our top priority is your family’s safety. Not only do we know the potential risks that fire ants can pose for your family, we also know how to keep your family safe around the chemicals we apply. After our applications, we will be able to answer all of your questions and provide as much information as possible.
We Guarantee Our Service
At Rivers Lawn and Landscape, we recommend that you receive two treatments for fire ants per year. After these two treatments, we guarantee that your property will be fire-ant free. If you notice fire ants on your lawn after our second application, we will treat it for free.
Next Steps
It only makes sense to let a professional provide guaranteed control of fire ants on your property. The professionals at Rivers Lawn and Landscape are licensed in North and South Carolina, and we are dedicated to protecting your lawn and your family. Contact Rivers Lawn & Landscape today for professional service and exceptional value for your dollar.