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I live in south Louisiana and have started a fire ant remediation program in our neighborhood. The article is good, but you need to mention that spinosad is an insecticide which affect the central nervous system of the ants and contained in Ortho Fire Ant Killer and other readily available products. There are also Insect Growth Regulators (IGR) (ie methoprene, pyriprpxyfen) available as Award, Logic, Extingush, Distance and Spectracide Fier Ant Bait, which deliver a sterilization compound to the queen who then produces sterile eggs. The latter takes longer to have an effect (you have to go through a complete egg laying cycle), but is more permanent. It works great as a neighborhood treatment and in our neighborhood we have done this for 2 years and now have very few fire ants. This IGR comes mixed with a bait like grits, and is broadcast throughout the yards. My 1/4 acre only needed 1/2 cup of this product. The ants will travel up to 250 feet when they are foraging in the spring and fall, bring it back to the queen, who ingests it, and then lays infertile eggs. You start the first treatment in either spring or fall, then do another at the next forage either spring or fall, and after that only once a year. It is not put on the mounds, but broadcast across the yards. (Queens and most of the hives are way underground or under your driveway, patios and walkways). This method is much more cost effective (about $5 per yard) and more environmentally sound than treating with insecticide continually. It also is safer around people and animals as the only thing it impacts negatively is the queen.
