McAllen Fire Ant Control & Elimination

Getting Rid of Fire Ants in McAllen Yards

Fire ants in South Texas aren’t just annoying—they’re legitimately dangerous, especially if you’ve got kids or pets. Step on a mound and you’ll have 50+ ants on your leg in seconds, each one stinging multiple times. The welts itch for days, and some people have serious allergic reactions.

Colco Pest and Weed Control provides effective fire ant control for McAllen residential and commercial properties. We use proven treatment methods that eliminate existing colonies and prevent new mounds from popping up every week.

Tired of fire ants taking over your yard? Call 956-777-6328 for treatment.

Why Fire Ants Thrive in McAllen

Perfect Climate: Fire ants love warmth and moisture. McAllen’s climate is ideal for them year-round. They don’t slow down in winter—they just move mounds to sunny, warm spots.

Sandy Loam Soil: Our soil is easy for fire ants to excavate and provides good drainage. They build extensive underground colony networks.

No Effective Natural Predators: Fire ants outcompete native ant species and have few natural enemies in South Texas.

Irrigation: Regularly watered lawns provide the moisture fire ants need. They often build mounds near sprinkler heads or in irrigated areas.

Disturbed Soil: New construction, tilled gardens, and landscaping projects create perfect conditions for fire ant colonies to establish.

Fire Ant Behavior You Should Know

Colony Size: A mature fire ant colony contains 100,000-500,000 ants. What you see as a mound is just the tip—the colony extends 1-2 feet underground and can spread 10+ feet horizontally.

Multiple Queens: Many fire ant colonies have multiple queens, each producing up to 1,500 eggs per day. This is why colonies grow so fast and why killing individual mounds doesn’t solve the problem.

Aggressive Defense: Fire ants attack anything that disturbs their mound. They don’t just bite—they grab with their mandibles and sting repeatedly. Each ant can sting 7-8 times.

Mound Migration: Fire ants move their mounds seasonally. In summer heat, they move to shaded areas. After rain, they build mounds higher to avoid flooding. You can have 3-4 mounds in your yard this week and 5-6 different ones next week—same colony, different locations.

Swarming: Disturb a mound and hundreds of ants boil out within seconds. They climb onto whatever disturbed them (your leg, the lawn mower, your dog) and sting in coordinated waves.

Satellite Colonies: Established colonies form satellite colonies nearby. Treating one mound often doesn’t address the connected colonies.

The Problem with DIY Fire Ant Control

Mound Treatments Alone Don’t Work: Pouring boiling water, gasoline, or individual mound treatments might kill that mound, but the colony has probably already established satellite mounds nearby.

Fire Ants Relocate: Disturb a mound with treatment and the colony often just moves 10-15 feet away and rebuilds.

New Mounds Keep Coming: Even if you kill every mound in your yard, fire ants from neighboring properties will invade and establish new colonies within weeks.

Over-the-Counter Products Are Weak: The bait products you buy at the hardware store work, but they’re slower and less effective than professional-grade products.

You’re Missing Hidden Colonies: For every mound you see, there might be 2-3 others you don’t notice yet.

Our Fire Ant Control Program

Option 1: Broadcast Bait Treatment (Recommended)

We apply professional-grade fire ant bait across your entire yard. Foraging worker ants collect the bait and bring it back to the colony, feeding it to other workers, larvae, and queens. The colony collapses from within over 2-4 weeks.

Advantages:

• Treats the entire property, including colonies without visible mounds
• Eliminates queens, which is the only way to truly kill colonies
• Long-lasting control (3-6 months)
• Safe for pets and kids once application is complete

Application: Applied as granules using a broadcast spreader. Best applied when ants are actively foraging (spring and fall, 65-85°F temperatures).

Option 2: Individual Mound Treatment

We treat each visible mound with fast-acting insecticide. This kills the mound within 24-48 hours.

Advantages:

• Fast results
• Good for addressing specific problem mounds

Disadvantages:

• Doesn’t address hidden colonies
• Doesn’t prevent new mounds from appearing
• Colonies can relocate rather than die

We typically recommend individual mound treatment combined with broadcast bait for the best results.

Option 3: Combination Treatment

We apply broadcast bait for long-term colony elimination and treat individual mounds for immediate knockdown. This gives you fast relief while also addressing the root problem.

This is what we recommend for most residential properties with heavy fire ant pressure.

Two-Step Fire Ant Program (Best Value)

Treatment 1 (Spring – March/April): Broadcast bait application when ants are actively foraging. This targets colonies as they’re coming out of winter and building up populations.

Treatment 2 (Fall – September/October): Second broadcast bait application to eliminate any colonies that survived or newly established colonies from neighboring properties.

Two treatments per year keep most properties fire-ant-free with minimal mound activity.

What to Expect from Treatment

Timeline:

• Mound treatments: 24-48 hours for visible results
• Broadcast bait: 2-4 weeks for full colony elimination
• New mounds: May appear in first 7-10 days as colonies relocate before dying

Effectiveness: Professional broadcast bait treatments provide 85-95% control for 3-6 months.

Re-Infestation: Fire ants from neighboring properties will eventually invade treated yards. That’s why ongoing treatment matters.

Fire Ant Prevention Tips

Maintain Treatment Schedule: Regular bait applications (twice yearly minimum) provide the best long-term control.

Talk to Neighbors: Fire ant control works best when entire neighborhoods participate. One untreated property can re-infest surrounding yards.

Don’t Use Repellent Products: Products that repel ants rather than kill colonies just push fire ants to different parts of your yard.

Report New Mounds: If you see new mounds between treatments, call us for spot treatment.

Keep Grass Healthy: Dense, healthy turf makes it harder for fire ants to establish new mounds.

Fire Ant Sting Treatment

If you do get stung:

Immediate: Brush ants off quickly (don’t crush them—they’ll release pheromones that attract more ants). Get away from the mound.

First Aid:

• Wash area with soap and water
• Apply ice to reduce swelling
• Take antihistamine (Benadryl) to reduce itching
• Apply hydrocortisone cream to stings

Watch For Allergic Reactions: Severe reactions (difficulty breathing, rapid swelling, dizziness) require immediate medical attention. Call 911.

Pustules: Small white pustules will form within 24 hours. Don’t pop them—they’ll heal faster intact and have less infection risk.

Commercial Fire Ant Control

We provide fire ant control for:

• Parks and recreational areas
• Sports fields
• Schools and daycares
• Golf courses
• Commercial properties
• Apartment complexes
• HOA common areas

Commercial properties need consistent fire ant control for safety and liability reasons. We customize programs based on property size, usage, and fire ant pressure.

Rio Grande Valley Areas We Serve

• All Rio Grande Valley neighborhoods
• Mission
• Edinburg
• Pharr
• Palmview
• Sharyland
• Weslaco
• And surrounding Rio Grande Valley communities

Get Fire Ant Control Now

Call Colco at 956-777-6328 to schedule treatment. We’ll evaluate your fire ant problem and recommend the most effective treatment program for your property.

Stop tiptoeing around your own yard—let’s eliminate those fire ants for good.