Everyone knows that ants spoil a picnic, but fire ants will make you pack up and go running in the opposite direction. That’s because these mean pests can repeatedly sting anything that stands in their way. But, they do more than just inflict pain. They also create large, ugly mounds that will ruin the aesthetic of your yard and destroy the surrounding grass. However, getting rid of fire ants is difficult, so the best thing you can do is prevent them from coming into your yard in the first place.
If your home keeps getting infestations, there might be one thing in your yard that is attracting them to set up shop there: standing water. Water helps fire ants thrive, so having lots of water sources in your yard makes your patch of land seem like an appealing place for these pests to call home. Luckily, all hope is not lost. The good news is that this is an oversight that is relatively easy to fix — here’s how.
Why you shouldn’t have standing water in your yard
Fire ants are notoriously difficult to eradicate from your yard because their colonies are intimidatingly extensive. A single mound can house over 20,000 ants, and the tunnels can run for several feet underground. That’s the ant equivalent of a sprawling metropolis, so evicting them from your yard is no easy feat. Because of that, the best thing you can do is ensure your yard doesn’t look like an attractive place for them to set up their ant hill. Like most living things, they need water to live, so they will make sure there is enough moisture in the area to support their colony. If you ensure you don’t have any of that in your yard, they will look for a more hospitable area instead.
That doesn’t mean you have to turn your yard into a desert. Instead, make sure you remove any bird baths and fountains, and drain or cover up any decorative ponds. Ensure there are no buckets or vessels that capture rainwater, and that there aren’t any places susceptible to forming puddles or experiencing leaks. In addition to that, you want to avoid having any overly damp soil, so make sure you’re not overwatering your plants and that your yard has proper drainage. By diligently patrolling your yard and ensuring there is no standing moisture in it, you should be able to avoid fire ants invading your space.
