Fire ants are a menace in Southern lawns. To get rid of fire ants quickly, pour boiling water directly on each mound. For long-term control, spread bait across the whole yard, then treat individual mounds.
With tips from an entomologist, we’ll cover the most effective ways to eliminate fire ants in your yard, including natural remedies and when it’s time to call in the pros.
Effective fire ant control requires the right timing, the right products, and persistent effort. If you’d rather skip the hassle, LawnStarter’s local fire ant treatment pros can handle it for you.
| Key Takeaways |
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| • Use the two-step method: Broadcast bait across your yard, then treat individual mounds. • Natural methods like boiling water work about 60% of the time and may not reach the queen deep in the colony. • Professional treatment becomes necessary for large infestations or when DIY methods repeatedly fail. |
Do You Have Fire Ants? Here’s How to Tell
Not sure if what you’re looking at is actually a fire ant mound? Here’s how to tell for certain: Fire ant mounds have no visible entrance holes on top — it distinguishes them from most other ant species in your yard.
Disturb one and you’ll know immediately. Fire ants swarm out in large numbers and sting aggressively, with hundreds of ants able to swarm up your leg in seconds.
With no natural enemies, imported fire ant colonies continue to grow rapidly across the South and now infest more than 367 million acres across 14 states and Puerto Rico. They’re most active from spring to fall when foraging temperature exceeds 65 degrees.
See Related: 8 Types of Ants That Damage Your Yard
Get Rid of Fire Ants With the Two-Step Method
The best way to get rid of fire ants is the two-step method — broadcast bait across your entire yard, then drench individual mounds directly. This university-recommended approach, sometimes called the Texas Two-Step, combines 2 complementary strategies.
Step 1 kills colonies you haven’t even found yet by getting poison to the queen.
Step 2 provides fast relief for the mounds in areas your family and pets use most.
Step 1: Broadcast Fire Ant Bait Across the Yard
The first part of the two-step method is to apply a bait product over your whole lawn for long-term fire ant control. Baits are granules made of a slow-acting insecticide packed inside an attractant, such as soybean oil.
The slow-acting part is key. “Foraging ants pick up the bait and take it into the mounds, where they share it with other ants and thus larger numbers are reached,” says Shaku Nair, entomologist and associate in Extension at the Arizona Pest Management Center.
Here’s how the broadcasting step works:
Wait for a clear, dry day in late afternoon or evening: Ants should be actively foraging. You don’t want rain to wash away the granules you’ve broadcasted around your yard.
Always read the label before using any pesticide: Label instructions inform you of safety precautions and how to correctly apply your specific product.
Spread bait evenly with a handheld or broadcast spreader: Cover your entire yard.
Colony elimination: Once the colony has ingested the bait, including the queen, it will eventually die off for effective long-term control.
Baits are more effective than sprays for fire ant control, Nair says. “Spraying an area with pesticides is not helpful because the sprays only reach ants that are trailing outside of the mounds, whereas there may be huge numbers of ants inside the mounds where no spray can reach.”
A single fire ant colony can hold hundreds of thousands of workers, all protected underground. You need to get the insecticide to the queen; bait does that job by turning worker ants into unwitting delivery agents.
“On average, the two-step treatment method may take 2 weeks or up to 4 months to achieve 90% eradication of the fire ants,” says Nair. The time it takes depends on multiple factors, including:
Species of fire ant
Population size
Time of year
The type of pesticide product (fast-acting baits reach peak effectiveness in 1 to 4 weeks, while insect growth regulators need 2 to 6 months).
When to apply: Baits are usually broadcast in late spring when the soil temperature reaches 70 to 90 degrees and fire ants are actively foraging for food.
To know whether the ants are actively foraging, try this simple test: Place a small amount of bait or another tasty treat (potato chip or hot dog) next to the nest. If the ants have found the food within 20 to 30 minutes, it’s an ideal time to treat.
If a fire ant infestation continues to thrive throughout the summer, you can apply bait again in late summer or early fall.
Step 2: Drench the Fire Ant Mounds
Step 1 provides long-term control, while Step 2 quickly treats and eliminates fire ant mounds in areas that people or pets frequent.
Consider treating mounds near your foundation, driveway, sidewalk, electrical boxes, or fixtures (like outside lights) to keep your home safe.
Here’s how to treat each mound individually with either liquid or granular pesticides:
Wait until the late afternoon or evening: The ants should be actively foraging at this time.
Drench the mound with a liquid, dust, or granular pesticide: This usually takes 1 to 2 gallons of liquid pesticide, or a generous layer of granules. Some granular pesticides need to be watered to take effect, so read the label for directions.
Move away from the ant hill quickly: After application, keep your distance to avoid being bitten.
Individual mound treatments usually kill off a colony within a few days.
Watch this video from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension to see how the two-step method is applied.
Remember, a one-time treatment won’t permanently eliminate fire ants in your yard. Because broadcast bait control often lasts about 3 to 12 months, depending on the active ingredients and weather, a recurring once- or twice-yearly fire ant treatment goes a long way toward keeping fire ants from coming back.
Attention Pet Owners: Before you let your pets onto the treated area, thoroughly water the areas where granular, liquid, or dust pesticides have been applied, and allow them to dry. Always follow safety precautions on the label.
Alternatively, consider natural pesticides options like the mound treatments in the next section.
Treatment Cost Considerations
Getting rid of fire ants doesn’t have to break the bank, but costs vary depending on whether you go the DIY route or hire a pro, and the size of your infestation.
| Treatment Type | Cost Range | Best for |
| Amdro Outdoor Fire Ant Killer Granule Bait (1 lb.) | $15.29 (covers 2,000 sq. ft.) | Broadcast application |
| Fire Ant Killer Broadcast Granules (25 lbs.) | $36.97 (covers up to 10,800 sq. ft.) | Broadcast application |
| Ortho Mound Treatment Fire Ant Killer (4 lbs.) | $6.47 | Individual mounds |
DIY materials typically run $25–$50 for the full two-step treatment on an average-sized yard, not including a spreader. Larger properties or repeat seasonal applications will run higher.
Professional fire ant treatment typically runs $175–$300 for a one-time service on an average-sized yard (varies by region).
How to Get Rid of Fire Ants Naturally (And What Actually Works)
Natural remedies can control fire ants without chemicals, but their effectiveness varies widely. No natural method is as consistently effective as the two-step chemical approach.
So if your infestation is large or keeps coming back, chemical treatment is the better path. That said, here’s how the most common natural options compare:
| Method | Effectiveness | Results Timeline |
| Spinosad Bait | Moderate | 2–3 weeks |
| Boiling Water | About 60% | Immediate for ants close to surface |
| Soapy Water | 60%–70% | Multiple applications |
| Diatomaceous Earth | Limited | Days to weeks |
| Citrus Oil | As effective as boiling water | Immediate for ants close to surface |
Natural Fire Ant Bait
For an effective, chemical-free approach, use the two-step method but with organic pest control products. Look for fire ant pesticides that contain spinosad, a biopesticide that comes in liquid drenches and baits.
Spinosad bait treatments usually take several weeks before mound activity drops.
Boiling Water for Fire Ants
One simple home remedy is to boil water and pour it over the ant hill. This fire ant killer is convenient because you don’t have to buy supplies or chemicals.
Here’s how the boiling water method works:
Wait for a time when fire ants are close to the surface: After a heavy rain or on a sunny, cool morning is a good time.
Boil 2-3 gallons of water: Use your stove to bring the water to a full boil.
Quickly pour the boiling water: Drench the mound thoroughly.
Move away from the spot immediately: Angry ants might come out to attack, so keep your distance to avoid being bitten.
Boiling water is the cheapest organic method for killing fire ants. Its effectiveness is about 60% when you use 2-3 gallons per mound, according to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.
It’s good for killing worker ants, but it isn’t as effective at reaching the queen since she lives deep inside the nest — sometimes several feet underground.
If the queen survives, the colony will rebuild. Repeat this method or combine with a bait approach for full colony elimination.
Soapy Water for Fire Ants
A water and soap solution can kill ants on contact. However, as with boiling water, if only a portion of the colony is killed, the remaining ants may relocate to another area of your lawn.
Here’s how to fight fire ants with soapy water:
Mix 1 tablespoon of dish soap with 1 quart of water in a bottle or a bucket.
Drill a hole in the ant hill: Use a screwdriver, stick, or other thin tool to poke a hole in the ant mound.
Pour the soap mixture inside the mound: Apply the soapy water mixture late in the evening, when most of the ants should be inside the mound.
Pour the remaining mixture into a spray bottle for targeted application. Spray onto ants around the nest or spots with heavy ant traffic.
Repeat this procedure multiple times: It will take multiple applications before it takes effect.
Diatomaceous Earth for Fire Ants
Diatomaceous earth (DE) may be effective at killing individual ants, but whether it can eliminate a whole colony is debatable — and on its own, it’s unlikely to reach the queen. Think of DE as a supplement to your main treatment, not a standalone solution.
To give it a go, sprinkle diatomaceous earth over active sites where ants travel so they come into contact with it. When ants brush up against diatomaceous earth, it cuts their exoskeleton and causes them to die of dehydration. Opt for food-grade DE.
Important: DE stops working when it gets wet, so you’ll need to reapply it after rain or after watering your lawn.
Citrus for Fire Ants
Citrus oils contain a component called D-limonene that is toxic to fire ants and can work as a fire ant pesticide.
To make a pesticide using D-limonene, mix these ingredients together in a bucket:
⅓ cup of commercial-grade D-limonene
A good squirt of dish soap
5 gallons of water
Once you have your mixture, drench the ant mound with it. D-limonene is a good contact pesticide for fire ants that is about as effective as using boiling water.
See Related: Organic Pest Control for Your Garden That Really Works
When Should You Call a Pro for Fire Ants?
Call a professional if any of these sound familiar:
Your DIY treatments keep failing
You have multiple large mounds across a big property
Someone in your household is allergic to fire ant stings
The ants have gotten into electrical equipment
Don’t wait until the problem spirals. According to UGA Extension, a mature colony can exceed 500,000 workers, making fire ants far harder, and more expensive, to deal with down the line.
FAQs
Getting rid of fire ants is a long-term process, not a one-time fix. Most homeowners see significant reduction within 4–8 weeks, but full eradication is rarely permanent — new colonies can migrate in from surrounding areas. The most effective approach is ongoing seasonal treatment, not a single application.
To DIY the two-step method you can expect to pay about $25 to $50 in pesticide costs. A professional fire ant treatment averages $175 to $300 for the initial application, and around $500 when including several additional treatments to make sure the fire ants are totaly gone.
Spring and fall are the sweet spots. In spring, treat when soil temperatures reach 70–90 degrees and ants are actively foraging. Fall is a second opportunity before colonies hunker down. Avoid peak summer heat above 95 degrees or winter when ants aren’t foraging.
Get Professional Fire Ant Control From LawnStarter
When fire ants invade your lawn, you can get rid of them using the two-step method or natural home remedies. While these treatments have varying degrees of effectiveness, finding a solution that works for your yard is what matters most.
Professional treatment offers hands-off convenience, with annual plans available for year-round protection. If your infestation keeps coming back or covers a large area, find peace of mind with LawnStarter’s professional fire ant treatment at the click of a button online or via our app.
Main Image: Fire ants on a surface. Image Credit: Judy Gallagher / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
