The ant mounds you've noticed on your lawn in Texas could be fire ant mounds! Thankfully, there are a few ways to identify if they are indeed fire ants. Firstly, fire ant mounds don't have a central hole in them like most other ant mounds. Secondly, fire ant mounds will appear on your lawn after it rains as the rainwater floods their nests and forces the ants to build up. Finally, fire ants are known for their extreme aggressiveness. They will attack anything they perceive as a threat, leaving painful bites on their victims, which is unusual for other types of ants. Continue reading this blog to learn more about how to tell if the ant mounds on your lawn are fire ant mounds!

Fire ant mounds don't have a center hole.

A fire ant mound on a lawn in Austin, TX.

It's important to know how to identify fire ant mounds accurately as mistaking them for other types of ant mounds can be potentially dangerous! To differentiate between fire ant mounds and other ant mounds, look at the top of the mound. Unlike other ant mounds, fire ant mounds don't have a center hole, and they often look like piles of dirt that have simply been disrupted on the ground. This is because fire ants build underground tunnels that they use to enter and leave the mound. These tunnels can even spread several feet, making it easier for them to travel across and access other areas of your lawn.

You will notice fire ant mounds popping up after it rains.

One effective way to determine if your lawn has fire ants is by observing the emergence of ant mounds after rainfall. Fire ant mounds are infamous for appearing after heavy rains. The reason behind this is that fire ants construct their nests underground, and when it rains heavily, their nests can get flooded. Since the nests are underground, you may not even be aware of their existence until after a heavy downpour. When the rainwater floods their underground nests, it forces them to build upward, resulting in fire ant mounds forming above the ground on your lawn.

Unlike other ants, fire ants are instantly aggressive if the mound is disturbed.

It's important to recognize fire ants when present on your lawn as they can bite when disturbed, and their bites can be quite painful. One distinguishing characteristic of fire ants is that they will defend their nest and themselves by charging vertical surfaces. They can sense vibrations in the ground and hundreds of them will swarm out of the nest to act quickly and aggressively if they feel their nest is in danger. They will climb up blades of grass or any other object near their nest in order to get into contact with the possible threat.

If fire ants are able to reach you, they will bite, which can result in painful, burning hives on your skin that may turn into blisters.

Reach out to us today to schedule our fire ant control service.

At Century Lawn and Landscape, we have been keeping lawns safe from fire ants for 9 years and understand how important it is to keep your lawn free of these harmful insects. Our team of licensed professionals will apply our fire ant control treatments around your property three times per year to ensure they're controlled at all times. We also back our treatments with a no-hassle, no-nonsense guarantee to give you peace of mind. We offer our fire ant control treatments to residential properties in Austin, TX, and other surrounding areas, such as Bee Cave, Dripping Springs, and Cedar Park. Reach out to us today at (512) 786-1694 to sign up for our fire ant control service!