This reply is just more or less some additional information. Us Texans know a thing or two about fricking Fire Ants. They are quite destructive to cash crops, aggressive to human and livestock, toxic, and in some rare cases deadly. So if you are plagued with them, it is time for some serious medicine. First thing there is no such thing as eradication, only temporary control for your property. They will be back, no matter what. The best method of control is what as known as the Texas Two-Step. Step 1: Fire Ant Baits Fire ant baits consist of pesticides on processed corn grits coated with soybean oil. Worker ants take the bait back to the colony, where it is shared with the queen, which then either dies or becomes infertile along with the Queen wannabes. Baits currently available include Amdro, Siege, Logic, Award, Ascend, or Raid Fire Ant Killer. Baits are slow-acting and require weeks to months to achieve 80% to 90% control. Step Two: Individual Mound Treatments Chemical. With dust products, no water is needed and they act fast. However, they leave a surface residue. Liquid drenches generally eliminate mounds within a few hours and leave little surface residue after application. Granular products are relatively fast acting and usually require putting granules on and around the mound and then sprinkling 1 to 2 gallons of water on without disturbing the mound. Organic. Pouring 2 to 3 gallons of very hot or boiling water on the mound will kill ants about 60% of the time. Otherwise, the ants will probably just move to another location. Very hot or boiling water will kill the grass or surrounding vegetation that it is poured upon. Other natural or organic methods include mound drench products containing plant derived ingredients (e.g. botanical insecticides) and biological control agents. One of the best is products containing CONSERVE (Spinosad) made by Green Lite, Safer, and Payback.

The North Carolina ag extension agents have been giving classes in fire ant removal for a year or so. The gist of the class is the following. The effective way to remove fire ants is to poison the ants with any of the slow acting types that slowly get carried to the whole colony including the queen. This completely removes the colony AFTER A FEW WEEKS. Generally these are distributed around but not on the hill on a warm day when the ants are foraging. Put a potato chip near the mound if in doubt; if the ants don't show up in 30 minutes they won't be around to pick up the poison until it gets damp and unappatising. Also important; one should not indiscriminately poison all ants. Other ants are teritorial and will fight to keep fire ants away. They are your friends!

I use Amdro in the rest of the yard but not in the raised beds where I grow food - its not considered organic nor is it environmentally friendly. To me, it works the best but can take a day or so to see any results. You often see the results in piles of dead ants at the entry area, they look like tiny coffee colored jewels on the ground. Around food crops I use a similar bait based on the chemical Spinosad which is considered "organic". I think the product I use is called "come and get it". But (and there's always a but) insects quickly develop a tolerance to Spinosad. In my yard it seems to work for a year or so and that's all. I find that just messing with the colony will cause them to move somewhere else. Often I pretend that they are extra thirsty and need a nice long drink from the hose. My elderly neighbors laugh at me for using a dolly to move even a one gallon pot across the yard, or a bucket to haul sweet corn the 20 steps to the kitchen door - its all because I've learned the hard way that fire ants like to live inside black plastic pots and ears of corn and heads of lettuce. You don't want to hold anything up against your body. In the summer I often have one of those large plastic tubs with the rope handles off to the side and full of cold water - something to step into if my bare feet are getting stung. Fire ants like to crawl up inside your clothing and wait for a chemical signal from one ant then they all start to sting at the same time (they grab ahold of your skin with their mouths but they actually sting you with the other end, like a tiny wingless bee). So loose clothing, no socks and simple sandals mean it is easier to get them off of you if you should get swarmed. Otherwise you're ripping off your clothes while you run to the door and those same elderly neighbors will think you've finally gone crazy. My yard's fire ants only build the raised mounds if we've had a lot of rain the soil is moist, otherwise they can look like any other tiny ant colony. Don't worry - a new invasive ant is on its way up from the deep south and it kills fire ants. I believe they are called Crazy Ants. They're bigger and I don't think they sting but they invade houses.

Thanks to all who have responded, your expertise is much appreciated. I wanted to respond to several of the messages. DCHALL- Throughout the yard, there are areas (maybe not truly "patches") where it has just has not greened up yet and appears dead (this is interspersed with green grass stemming from the "runners"). I am not sure if I waited too long this season to begin watering and I am seeing drought damage, but for the most part, the yard is beginning to green. I have always mowed at a very high setting and I think I am watering correctly. I have an automated sprinkler system and all of the zones overlap. I water each zone once a week at between 30-35 minutes a zone. I understand that this is on the low side, but I make a conscious choice to try and conserve water as best I can without totally sacrificing the lawn (not just for environmental concerns, but to keep my utility bill under $300 a month). There have always been spots in the lawn that the St. Aug just fears to tread and is mostly just patches of weed. When we bought the home 2 1/2 years ago, the previous owners had several large dogs whom they did not pick up after....ever, and the lawn was in miserable shape. They did nothing in the way of lawn care except an occasional mow and it has taken me this long to get it into some reasonable shape. That being said, one side of our lawn (our home divides the yard) has never really been more than a weed desert (this is also where most of the fire ants are situated). Another patch is where chinch bugs got a start before I could identify and get to them (it is my understanding that this area will never recover, but it is small). I am familiar with the Green Light product and was actually leaning toward this. Thanks! BTW Mr. Hall, I very much enjoyed your member page! KIMMSR- Thank you for the very informative site. I have seen your posts on other forums and you always provide very well researched and thought out responses.