Fire ants have been around in the United States for decades. They originated in South America and were accidentally introduced to the US in the 1930s. Now they’re found across the nation but they prefer to live in southern states, ranging from Florida to Texas, because of moderate temperatures.
According to the University of California and Natural Resources, fire ants are nocturnal, which means they’re most active during the night. However, they’re also active during the day in moderate temperatures.
In this article, I’ll explain when fire ants are most active to help you choose the right time to deal with the fire ant infestation.
When Fire Ants Are Most Active: Time of the Year
According to the University of Georgia, fire ants are most active during the spring and fall months. The temperature between these months usually ranges from 70 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit, which is ideal for these insects to come out of mounds and start searching for food easily.
However, fire ants can be active year-round in areas with moderate temperatures. It’s important to note that fire ants can’t survive extremely high temperatures. They tend to go deep into the underground tunnels of their nests to stay cool.
The University of Georgia also explains that the populations of fire ants reach their maximum levels in the fall, as the summer months provide them with the opportunity to grow.
Therefore, if you’re planning to treat a fire ant infestation, consider choosing fall months. Another reason why you want to choose this time of the year is the location of fire ants.
They don’t go too deep into the tunnels during fall months and new broods and queens are close to the surface, making it easy to kill them.
When Fire Ants Are Most Active: Time of the Day
As mentioned above, fire ants are nocturnal and they’re most active during the night. However, these insects can be equally active during the day, depending on the temperature.
According to the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, the majority of fire ants come out of their mounds to search for food when the temperature is 72 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperature is between this range during the day, they’ll come out and start looking for food.
Therefore, the insecticide treatments that you apply in the early evening or in the late afternoon are most effective. Make sure that you use the fire ant bait method so that the active worker ants can take it to the queen.
Do Fire Ants Become Inactive During Cold Months?
Yes, just like most ant species, fire ants also become inactive during cold months. They don’t respond to extremely low temperatures any better than we humans do.
Fire ants take precautions to protect themselves from the winter cold. As the temperature drops, they go deeper into the tunnels of their nests to survive in the warmer soil.
The overall temperature of the body of ants is very low and they don’t need to spend energy in order to keep their bodies warm. Instead, they rely on thermoregulation, which is a process of regulating the amount of energy fire ants need to spend to maintain their body temperature.
When it gets extremely cold, the tips of the antennae of fire ants heat up and start vibrating. The up-and-down rapid movement of antennae allows the ant to heat up and maintain the body’s temperature.
Do Fire Ants Sleep?
According to a study published by the University of South Florida, red imported fire ants do sleep multiple times throughout the day. The researchers studied fire ant workers and queen ants located in a chamber to observe their sleeping patterns.
On average, queen ants had 92 sleep episodes during a single day, and each episode lasted for about six minutes. It’s equal to about 9.4 hours of sleep per day.
Whereas worker ants had 253 sleep episodes and each episode lasted for about 1.1 minutes on average. It’s equal to about 4.5 hours of sleep per day.
While many studies show that fire ants are nocturnal, the researchers of this study found that the activity episodes of fire ants were unaffected by dark and light periods.
The researchers concluded that the activity level of worker fire ants is increased if they’re in a stressful environment. They become hyperactive to protect and buffer the queen and brood from environmental stresses.
So, When to Treat Fire Ant Mounds?
The timing of treating a fire ant mound depends on the method you use. If you’re using the two-step method, involving the use of fire ant baits and pouring insecticides on the mounds, you should carry it out early in the evening or in the late afternoon in the fall to control fire ants.
It’ll increase the chances of killing the queen to eradicate the entire colony.
However, if you’re not planning to use the two-step method, and want to go with insecticide granules or drenches, you’ll need to choose the time when the queen, as well as most worker ants, are inside the mound.
The best time for these treatments is a cool sunny morning during the fall. At this time, the worker ants and the queen will be close to the surface as they’ll be looking for warmth. The granules and drenches applied at this time will have a higher chance of killing the queen.
Keep in mind that your main goal is to kill the queen if you want to completely eliminate fire ant colonies. If you fail to kill the queen, she’ll lay more eggs and the fire ant colony will recover sooner or later.
Final Words
Fire ants are most active from spring to fall. They’re nocturnal insects and show the highest level of activity during the night. However, they can also be equally active during the day if the temperature is between 72 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you’re planning to use the two-step method or fire ant control, consider implementing it early evening or in the late afternoon in the fall months. Whereas, the simple insecticide granules and drenches generate the best results when applied on a cool sunny morning during the fall.
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