Dousing the Colony

• Like all ants, fire ants live in colonies with one or more queens. The secret to killing the nest is to destroy the queens. Put on boots, long pants, gloves and a jacket before you search for a fire ant mound. The mounds look like small gopher diggings and are usually in a sunny location. They also tend to build mounds near electrical outlets. Fill a bucket with a solution of boric acid and water. Either pour the solution into the mound, or use a shovel to dig up the entire mound and dump the mound in the bucket. Boric acid is a natural desiccant and will kill any of the insects that come in contact with it. The water may drown the rest.
  
  

Baiting

• Baiting is an effective way to destroy a fire ant colony because workers ingest the bait and bring it back to the colony and feed it to the queens. One option suggested in a 2004 report by Larry Gilbert of the University of Texas involves peanut butter. He placed a mix of 15 percent boric acid and 85 percent peanut butter in bottle lids along the fire ant trails indoors. Gilbert's report said that mix will eliminate an indoor trail in about two weeks. A Texas A&M account says a mix of 1 tbsp peanut butter, 1 tsp brown sugar and 1 tsp of boric acid will work too.
  
  

Spraying

• Just as you can kill fire ants by dousing them with a boric acid solution, you can kill them by spraying them with the same solution. This method won't be effective unless you spray the whole colony, which will be hard to do. Spraying ants you see will kill them, but if the colony is healthy, a new trail will probably form in a short time. In particular, avoid spraying ants if you have set out bait for them. By killing the ants feeding on the bait, you prevent them from taking it back to the colony and feeding it to the queens.
  
  

Spreading Powder

• Boric acid is a fine white powder that, in its dry form, will kill any ants that walk through it. Put on protective clothes and spread powdered boric acid around the perimeter of a mound. It will prevent the worker ants from leaving or returning to the colony. This method is safer than digging up the mound, but it may not work as well. The elements could blow the powder away, or the ants will learn how to avoid it. Spread the powder every day until the ants disappear.