Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. Bait products have less impact on the environment than broadcast insecticide treatments, or individual mound treatment options, and usually require dramatically less product. Used properly they’re safe for people, pets, and most animals. A whole acre can be treated with one pound of bait which contains less than 1% active ingredient. You must use caution, though, when applying most baits near water –staying thirty feet away. Fortunately, you will still control fire ant colonies that are close to a water source – fire ant foragers travel 100 feet from their home in search of food and will find and take back to their water-side colony the bait you applied. That colony will be eliminated without endangering aquatic invertebrates. Always read the directions before using any pesticide and follow them precisely – it’s the law -- protect yourself and the environment.
Fire Ant Baits Are Safe When Properly Used
