Are Fire Ants Taking Over Your Garden? 5 Ways to Get Rid of Them Fast (2024)

Fire ants are serious (and invasive) pests that are far more than just a nuisance—their stings happen suddenly and repeatedly, and they leave behind painful welts, itchiness, and even allergic reactions. If you find fire ants in or around your home, it's important to get rid of them before they become a bigger problem. Here's how to get rid of fire ants.

What Are Fire Ants?

While you may encounter many kinds of ants in your home and garden, Fire ants aren't native to North America. They were accidentally introduced from South America over 75 years ago, and have been making their way across the southern United States ever since.

These major pests will suddenly sting repeatedly when they feel threatened (ie, when their nest is disturbed or when someone steps too closely to a fire ant), and their stings cause itchy welts, pain, and even severe allergic reactions in some. Fire ants are most commonly found outside, but they can make their way indoors too.

How to Get Rid of Fire Ants

Boiling Water

Boiling water is one of the simplest ways to quickly get rid of fire ant mounds. As this method treats colonies rather than individual fire ants, it's best for outdoor use.

To use boiling water to get rid of fire ants, pour a few gallons of boiling (or very hot) water on top of a fire ant mound. Make sure you're standing back, as some ants may rush out! The hot water will wreak havoc on the ant hill and the ants.

However, as ant colonies can run deep underground, it's unlikely to get rid of all the fire ants in a colony.

Insecticide

If you don't mind heading to the store to get your fire ant problem under control, pick up some insecticide that's specifically made for fire ants. Fire ant insecticide is normally in granule form and is scattered on top of an ant mound. It's meant for outdoor use.

Over the course of a few days, it will make its way through an ant colony and kill fire ants it comes into contact with. However, keep away from insecticide if your yard is used by pets or small children—it can be harmful if ingested.

Ant Bait

Ant bait works differently than insecticide or boiling water, as it targets individual ants, rather than an entire colony. It's also easy to use and mess-free, making it great for indoor use. You can also purchase ant baits or DIY them yourself.

Most ant bait uses borax, which, while (relatively) harmless to humans and pets, is poisonous to ants. Fire ants are attracted to the bait as the borax is mixed with a sweet liquid, and the borax doesn't work immediately—instead, it takes 24 to 48 hours to kill the ant, giving the ant enough time to share the bait with other ants in the colony.

Ant baits work best if you place them near specific areas you've noticed ants in.

Diatomaceous Earth

Another way to keep fire ants away from you and your home is with the use of diatomaceous earth. Diatomaceous earth is a fossilized algae powder that destroys many insects' exoskeletons, killing them. However, diatomaceous earth is a less effective fire ant treatment than the other options on this list, as it's best at killing individual fire ants, rather than entire colonies.

Diatomaceous earth can be used indoors and outdoors, but it must be frequently reapplied outdoors. Sprinkle diatomaceous earth around an ant colony, along the perimeter of your house, or on top of indoor "ant trails" you've noticed. Fire ants that walk through the powdery substance will be killed.

Orange Peels or Citrus Oil

If you want to make a fire ant repellant using ingredients you have in your kitchen, try making an ant-killing spray with oranges (or citrus oil) and water. However, keep in mind that a home remedy like this is going to be far less effective than using boiling water, insecticide, ant bait, or even diatomaceous earth. But an orange peel ant spray can be a helpful first step in fighting fire ants.

To make the spray, combine the peels of one orange (or a teaspoon of a citrus oil) in a blender or food processor with one cup of water. Blend until smooth, then pour into a spray bottle. The orange peel spray can be applied to ants indoors, or on top of their colonies outdoors.

When to Call a Professional

While there's a good chance you'll be able to deal with a fire ant problem by yourself, you may need to bring in a pest control professional if none of the methods above have worked. Another reason to call a professional is if you have a massive amount of fire ants (multiple mounds in your yard), or if you're allergic to fire ant bites.