That's what I'm going to do -- actually the "Esteem" growth regulator bait I mentioned above. However, all the baits take a long time to work, and so I'll still need to keep them clear of the well pump switch and boxes. These things are relentless.

Speaking of water, believe it or not, they will tunnel all the way down to the water table if need be. Native ant hills are small, with usually just one entrance tunnel, but a fire ant hill has a ridiculous network of tunnels, both lateral and vertical. The lateral tunnels can extend 50' or more from the mound.

It's amazing how fast they can build (and take down) the mounds. When they first came in locally, many people including me tried to destroy the mounds in our yards. They would use various traditional insectides along with bleach and even gasoline (at nearly $4/gal now, nobody would be doing that now, I assure you) and then take a hoe or other tool and try to destroy them. I even blasted them from a distance with a pressure washer once. Afterwards, I looked closely and saw waves of workers dutifuly carrying their eggs and larvae out to build a new mound nearby. And that didn't include the number who escaped through the tunnels.


They'll rebuild overnight. The thing is there is as much or more of the colony underground as aboveground. The visible mound, big as it is, is just the tip of the iceberg. And plowing up a field just makes it easier for them.

They regulate the temperature and humidity inside precisely. When its hot and dry, they go underground and the mound tops will be flat with the surface -- you'll think they're gone. But when it rains, they'll come back up and build the mounds up again.