Inside the nest, the insect control chemical is passed around the colony, and it eventually reaches the queen. Fire ant baits will not work unless the worker ants pick them up. The food source is what attracts the fire ants and causes them to carry a bait particle back to the nest. The food source is usually soybean oil. If the oil becomes rancid, the bait will not be picked up by the fire ants.
Soybean oil becomes rancid if it is exposed to the air for a prolonged period or if it gets too hot.
That is why it is important to store bait in a tightly sealed package in a cool, dry place. Mixing the fire ant bait with fertilizer granules at first may seem to be a time-saving idea. However, the dust from the fertilizer granules reduces the attractiveness of the fire ant bait. Again, the treatment will not be effective if the workers do not pick up the bait. The insect control chemical is different for each fire ant bait.