{"id":884,"date":"2017-03-22T13:35:53","date_gmt":"2017-03-22T13:35:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lawndoctor.com\/southernwakecounty-nc\/?page_id=884"},"modified":"2025-11-13T14:36:40","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T14:36:40","slug":"fire-ant-lawn-pest-control","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.lawndoctor.com\/southernwakecounty-nc\/lawn-care-local\/fire-ant-lawn-pest-control\/","title":{"rendered":"Fire Ant Control & Treatment in Garner, NC"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Extreme<\/p>\n

As a homeowner, it\u2019s never fun to realize that you\u2019ve got squatters on your property. When they come in the form of tiny and aggressive fire ants, it\u2019s even less exciting news\u2014particularly when you\u2019ve got children and pets running around what should be a carefree extension of your home.If you look up a map of where fire ants are most prevalent in the country, you\u2019ll see that fire ant infestations are common all over the Southern United States and our Southern Wake County towns like Garner, Fuquay-Varina, and Holly Springs are no exception. Fire ants live in nests in the ground in colonies of thousands and we regularly treat them in the lawns of homeowners in our area so that they can avoid painful stings and turf damage.<\/p>\n

Why Fire Ants Are So Difficult to Control<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It can be shocking to walk on your lawn one day and find fire ant mounds where there previously were none, but the reality is that once you see these hills of sand and soil, it\u2019s likely that you\u2019ve had an underground fire ant infestation for up to six months prior. In fact, the mound that you see protruding from your lawn is only a part of the whole picture\u2014the nests they protect can extend several feet into the ground, which helps to regulate temperature and protect the ants below from the elements like rain.<\/p>\n

Below the surface, they live and work in a complex network of tunnels that lead to chambers where they store food, lay eggs, and protect the queen. Hidden satellite colonies are often established nearby, making it easy for them to move quickly and reestablish. If you were to draw a picture of an ant hill, you might put a little hole at the top, where the ants enter and exit\u2014but not fire ants! There are no visible openings in a fire ant mound because as they leave to forage (up to 100 feet or more away), they reenter the hill through hidden side tunnels.<\/p>\n

Each colony can have one or more queens that lay thousands of eggs, which allows their population to grow quickly. New colonies form when these winged insects swarm and mate in the air before the fertilized queen lands and starts a new nest nearby.<\/p>\n

Why Choose Professional Fire Ant Treatments Over DIY<\/strong><\/h2>\n

You might be realizing that the name of the game for these insects is \u201cSurvival\u201d and they\u2019re pretty good at it. That\u2019s why professional treatments become crucial once you realize you have a problem. It\u2019s ideal to perform a preventative treatment early in the year, before the warm weather days above 70 degrees speed up their metabolism and ability to forage and reproduce.<\/p>\n

In areas around Southern Wake County, like Fuquay-Varina and Knightdale, the same mild winters and longer warm seasons we enjoy also create the perfect environment for fire ants to stay active for longer, increasing the need for year-round prevention.<\/p>\n

Our fire ant control treatment begins with a thorough inspection to locate problem areas and assess the situation. The treatment that we then apply targets existing fire ant infestations and works to prevent new ones through fire ant bait application. Fire ants think the bait is food and carry it back to the colony, where over time it eliminates the colony. If measures beyond the bait method are needed, liquid insecticide treatments can be applied to individual mounds, but this is typically used as a last resort.<\/p>\n

Here are some additional reasons to call in help from Lawn Doctor of Southern Wake County:<\/p>\n