Living in Palm Beach County is considered a luxury, but unfortunately it has a few problems. Pests, such as insects and rodents are generally attracted to the South Florida tropical heat, and Fire Ants are no exception. Ants tend to construct hills in sunny, open areas such as
- lawns
- pastures
- cultivated fields
- meadows
Aside from the above locations, fire ant mounds can be found in rotting logs, around trees and stumps, under pavement and buildings, and occasionally indoors. If a fire ant’s nest is disturbed, ants will swarm out of their home and attack any visible intruder. Fire ants are well-known for their painful, burning sting that results in a pustule and intense itching, which may persist for 10 days. Infections may occur if pustules are broken. Some people have allergic reactions to fire ant stings that range from rashes and swelling to paralysis, or anaphylactic shock. In rare instances, severe allergic reactions cause death.
In addition to stinging humans, imported fire ants can sting pets, livestock, and wildlife. Crop losses are also reported due to fire ants feeding on seedlings and even citrus trees. Harvesting machinery used on farms can be damaged by hitting hard fire ant mounds often found in clay soils. Electrical equipment and utility housings may serve as fire ant nest sites, sometimes resulting in short circuits.
Broward County fire ants have been the target of innumerable methods of pest control. However, there are no control methods that will permanently remove fire ants from an area. Four strategies are currently being used to control fire ants:
- broadcast bait applications,
- individual mound treatments,
- a combination of broadcast baiting and individual mound treatments, and,
- barrier and spot treatments.
A1 Super Heroes specializes in the control and removal of fire ants in Broward and Palm Beach County
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