Follow this procedure when using baits. Contact your county Cooperative Extension Center for advice on suitable baits. Apply the bait according to label directions. Sprinkle the recommended amount around each mound but not on the mound itself. It is best to apply the bait in the early evening.
Moisture tends to make the bait's attractant oils rancid and less appealing to foraging ants.
One disadvantage is that broadcast treatments can disrupt native ant communities as well as fire ant infestations. Broadcast treatments can result in an ant community changing from one that is dominated by native ants to one dominated by fire ants. On the other hand, in areas with very high mound densities, broadcast applications allow large areas to be treated quickly. Areas of high public use can be protected by spring and fall broadcast applications of ant bait. If the area becomes reinfested with fire ants during the summer months, individual mounds can be treated with an insecticide drench or ant bait, although as noted previously control is more difficult when temperatures are high.