If your yard is on many acres, try to identify the critical places where encounters with fire ants will occur. Once this common ground is identified, try to identify any fire ant activity. Once the area has been inspected and fire ant activity has been determined to be present, you have a choice of either baiting or drenching for control. The concept of baiting fire ant mounds is to insure the queen or queens are killed. Only then will the nest be destroyed.
Most baits are slow acting.
When sprinkled around a mound, the scout and worker ants will bring the bait back to feed other members in the nest. This includes nurse ants, larva and the queen. In general, queen ants will not feed on new foodstuff until it is deemed safe. To qualify, the food is first eaten by certain members of the colony. They are carefully watched to insure they do not get sick or die.