The Next Big Sting in Orange County and Riverside County
The Red Imported Fire Ant is making a comeback
It looks really nice and inviting, parks, golf courses and common areas with their lush green lawns, sports fields and landscaping is really inviting. They are the types of places that are ideal for picnics, just laying around, practicing you golf shots or watching your kids play.
But you may want to think twice and resist that impulse. You see the red imported fire ants are on the rise again in Orange County and Riverside County. These ants are different than other ants in the area. They are always in a nasty mood. They bit and sting and their reaction time, when their nest is disturbed, is measured in seconds. When they attach they attach with thousands. Mike Flores, an inspector with the California Department of Food and Agriculture, says,” unless your idea of fun is running down the street screaming while swarms of vicious ants are repeatedly stinging and biting your flesh, you better beware of these little guys”.
You need to educate yourself about these ants and especially know what the mounds look like. You will not see much or any of the ants but if you kick one opening you will see plenty.
If your kids are playing baseball or football on city parks take a few minutes to look for these guys and let the coaches know if you find them. You need to contact the city as well.
The problem with exterminating and controlling them is the products that are used. When Orange County had to quarantine part of the county, a first in the entire state, when they first found these guys, there was a limited amount of products that could get rid of them.
The effective fire-ant baits used were a relatively long life product. Great care had to be taken by the county to make sure that the groundwater and creeks were not contaminated. Because of that the attempt to exterminate this critter was ultimately limited and minimized the effectiveness of those efforts. Because of the contamination concerns, a monitoring program was set up for Newport Bay and the Irvine Channel.
To protect yourself, your kids and your pets, get educated about the red imported fire ant.
The hot spots we are finding for these guys are all of Orange County. In Riverside County, Lake Elsinore, Murrieta and Temecula are hot. The calls we are getting for this ant control problem has increased 10 fold since last year.
If you have an ant control problem, give us a call. We can Help.
