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Blog: Fire ants

So where did these nasty ants come from because they surely didn’t come from here. It is believed that they came to North America on a shipment of cargo back in the 1930s.
fire ants

So where did these nasty ants come from because they surely didn’t come from here. It is believed that they came to North America on a shipment of cargo back in the 1930s. So, how did they get in your lawn? Well most likely from an infested nursery plant, fertilizer or grass sod being used in the home’s landscaping. Fire ants like warm, sunny conditions as they prefer dry lawns and avoid shady areas. When responding to a disturbance of sorts, fire ants first use their mandibles for grip and then inject venom through a stinger. Fire ant stings are very painful and potentially fatal. Their venom is an alkaloid that is very irritating to humans and results in red bumps and white boils. These ants are difficult to control because the colonies are often very large underground nests with multiple queens. One common sign of fire ant activity is the worker, swarmer ants, sandy earthen mounds and people being stung by ants.

Go Green Pest Control owner Randy Bilesky is a long-time South Delta resident. Trained and certified, Bilesky has first-hand knowledge of the pest problems that local homeowners and business owners encounter.