The oil is absorbed into corn cob grit to allow easy broadcasting. The ants will find the grit, and extract the toxic oil for food. The slow action of the toxicant allows the ants to pass the food throughout the colony and to the queen. This method is effective in eliminating the queens and workers, but requires several weeks to control the colony, depending on the product used. Treating each mound individually is more time consuming and may not always eliminate the queen.
Individual treatment is cost-effective if there are only a few mounds present.
Colonies are eliminated faster than with broadcast bait applications. A population of native ants is another factor that can slow the invasion of fire ants. Newly mated fire ant queens are susceptible to being killed by native ants before they can burrow into the ground. Therefore, it is important to consider the preservation of native ant species when applying fire ant control measures.