Warm, sunny spring days are now upon us, which means that many gardeners finally have the chance to get outside and prepare their vegetable plots. Now is a good time to turn the soil and prepare it for vegetable seeds or transplants. However, many gardeners are often troubled to find one or more fire ant mounds have popped up in their vegetable plots since last season.

Unfortunately, fire ants love to build their mounds in friable, loose soil. This describes most vegetable garden soils that sit fallow over the winter. Most people only notice the mounds when they return to the site in spring to work the soil.

Controlling ant infestations in vegetable gardens can be difficult. Most insecticides labeled for ant control are not labeled for use in vegetable gardens. I wouldn’t recommend trying to treat mounds in vegetable gardens with any normal insecticide used for other garden pests. However, there are a few methods for controlling this problem. Baits formulated for fire ant control are a good starting point.

Baits work well because they specifically target fire ants and control them by using the smallest possible amount of active insecticide. They are much more environmentally-sound than many other broad spectrum insecticides.

Fire ant baits are not labeled for use in vegetable gardens, but UGA Extension entomologist Dan Suiter recommends applying them around the edge of the garden plot. This will still comply with the label and will not limit the effectiveness of the bait. Fire ants travel relatively long distances to forage, so they should have no problem picking up the bait at the edge of the garden.

Warm, sunny spring days are the best time to apply fire ant baits. Afternoons are best, because they avoid the morning dew which can limit the effectiveness of the bait. Don’t apply fire ant baits if rain is in the forecast for the day. Unlike some other insecticides, never water-in fire ant baits after application.

Fire ants should find the bait within two hours and carry it back to their mound. After a week, many of the ants will be dead, but a second treatment may be needed to kill the rest of the colony. Wait a week between treatments.

Many home remedies, such as vinegar, boiling water, and essential oils, can cause ants to move to a different location, but they will not kill them. There are a few products labeled as “organic fire ant control” that use Spinosad, a bacterial agent that kills insects upon ingestion.

For additional questions, please contact Effingham County Extension Agent Sam Ingram at 754-8040 or singram@uga.edu.