The battle to control fire ants never ends. Just when you think you have the situation under control, new mounds begin to pop up everywhere. And the ants seem to be getting smarter. They've learned to build their nests in locations that are hard to treat with insecticides. Fire ants often forage indoors in search of food and water when the weather is hot and dry.
Entire colonies can move into wall voids and set up housekeeping.
They also commonly move inside homes during flooding. Needless to say, their presence is a nuisance and can be threatening to pets or people living inside the home. To control fire ants foraging to the inside of a home, treat mounds nesting near the outside of the home with a contact insecticide such as Dursban or diazinon. If you can't find mounds in the area, spray around the base of the home to form an insecticide barrier the ants won't cross. Spray ant trails or spot-treat infested areas inside the home with a contact insecticide labeled for indoor use.