Fire Ants in Miami-Dade County
The red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) is established throughout Miami-Dade County and is one of the most significant outdoor pest threats for Miami homeowners. Fire ants build dome-shaped mounds in open sunny areas — lawns, playgrounds, sports fields, and along driveways — and defend them aggressively when disturbed. A single mound can contain 100,000–500,000 workers. When stepped on or disturbed, they swarm and sting repeatedly.
Fire ant stings cause intense burning pain (giving them their name), followed by a characteristic white fluid-filled pustule at each sting site within 24 hours. Most reactions are localized, but approximately 1% of people experience anaphylactic reactions requiring emergency treatment. Multiple stings in a sensitive individual can be life-threatening.
The Two-Step Method
Fire ant granular bait is broadcast across the entire property using a spreader. Workers forage for the bait granules, carry them to the queen, and the slow-kill active ingredient (IGR or metabolic toxin) kills the queen over 1–4 weeks, collapsing the colony. Bait works property-wide, treating mounds you can see and colonies you cannot.
Active mounds visible at the time of service receive direct contact insecticide treatment — either a liquid drench applied around and into the mound, or a contact granule — to suppress mound activity within 24–72 hours while the bait works more slowly on other colonies.
Miami's year-round warmth means fire ants are active all year and re-infestation from adjacent properties and green spaces is continuous. Twice-annual Two-Step treatment — typically spring and fall — maintains population suppression throughout the year.