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Volume 2, September 2004
Watch Out for Foraging Fire Ants This Fall
With back-to-school activities, fall sports, and cooler temperatures, fall is the time of year people love to spend outside. Unfortunately, people aren't the only ones. Fire ants also enjoy the cooler weather, creating a potential health threat for millions of southern homeowners. "One of the biggest misconceptions about fire ants is that they go away in the fall. But in actuality, fire ants often forage more actively in fall than in summer," says Dr. Nate Royalty, Ph.D., Bayer Environmental Science.
In the heat of the summer, temperatures are often too hot for fire ants, and they escape underground where it is cooler. In the fall, when the temperatures drop, they reemerge to forage for food and to mate – at least until the much colder winter temperatures force them back underground. In general, fire ants like mild temperatures – not too hot and not too cold.
"Late August through October is an ideal time to take action against fire ants for several reasons," explains Royalty. "During these months, it is much easier to predict weather patterns, so application isn't as much of a guessing game as it is in the spring and summer. "In addition, foraging ants are often more active on cool days, so that more product is carried back into the mounds, subsequently increasing the speed at which the nests are eliminated."
To eliminate fire ants this fall, follow these simple tips from Bayer Environmental Science:
- Survey the area for fire ant mounds – Fire ant mounds look like worked soil, and have no clear opening. If one or more mounds are present, your property should be treated.
- Test for foraging – Carefully throw a potato chip (an ideal bait for fire ants) on or near a mound. Fire ants are foraging if they appear and begin to eat the chip within 30 minutes. NOTE: Many lawn care and pest control professionals will inspect your yard for free; contact your local professional by entering your ZIP code in the dealer locator on the right side of the page.
- Seek professional advice – Not only are fire ants a nuisance, attempting to control them yourself can be expensive, frustrating and potentially dangerous. Contact your local lawn care or pest control professional and ask for TopChoice™ from Bayer Environmental Science. A single, professional application of TopChoice this fall will cure existing mounds and prevent new mounds from forming for one year.
Back to School with TopChoice
As a parent, you do your best to protect your children from the harmful sting of fire ants by treating your yard, but what about the property you send your children off to during the day?
"Parents are encouraged to talk to their children's school about what fire ant treatment they are using to ensure that all students are safe while on their grounds," says Bryan Gooch, insecticide business manager for Bayer Environmental Science. "With TopChoice, schools can be sure they're protecting their students during outdoor activities," says Gooch. "With just one application, TopChoice both cures and prevents fire ant infestations for one full year, meaning your children will be protected all year-round."
Many schools recently took advantage of a limited-time discount on TopChoice. For more information about fire ant treatments for children's school contact your local lawn care or pest control professional.
Fire Ants Are History at Beauvoir,
The Jefferson Davis Historic Home
As part of their national community outreach campaign, Bayer Environmental Science traveled to Biloxi, Miss., to help educate and bring awareness to the ongoing problem of fire ants in the area. Together with Redd Pest Control, Bayer donated TopChoice to Beauvoir, the last home of confederate president Jefferson Davis. Beauvoir is on the National Register of Historic Places and holds designations as both a Mississippi Historic Landmark and a National Historic Landmark. It opened as a museum in 1941.
"With so many guests visiting our historic site each year, we can't take chances with fire ants. We are excited to be able to provide a new level of fire ant control to those visiting Beauvoir," says Patrick Hotard, executive director of Beauvoir. "In just three weeks after the treatment, there wasn't a mound to be found on our property," he adds.
TopChoice is guaranteed to prevent fire ant mounds for one year. Redd Pest Control plans to treat the property again next year.
Representatives from Redd Pest Control and Bayer Environmental Science declare Beauvoir House grounds to be a "fire ant free zone" in July 2004.
Share Your Story...
Every quarter TopChoice Times invites readers to send in personal stories highlighting their experiences and encounters with fire ants. We will select one each quarter to include in the next newsletter. To share your story with us, simply click on the following e-mail address and "fire" away!
keskin@tierneyagency.com
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A recent study conducted by Smith Kline found that:
- 53% of respondents from the southern United States said they have a problem with fire ants in or around their home
- Of those responding, 88% indicated that a fire ant had stung their children at least once in the last year
The following sites have received donations of TopChoice fire ant control:
- Beauvoir Historic Home, Biloxi, Miss.
- Atlantic Beach's Russell Park, Jacksonville, Fla.
- Orange Park Moosehaven Retirement Community, Jacksonville, Fla.
- The Rio Cibolo Ranch, San Antonio, Texas
- Baptist Miami Hospital, Miami, Fla.
Upcoming Events
- NASCAR, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Oct. 28-31, 2004
- The TopChoice Fire Ant Festival, Marshall, Texas, Oct. 9-10, 2004
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