Q: This ant mound is three feet wide around the tree base. I’ve heard them called Allegheny Mound Ants. I have been fighting them in my yard for three years now. What to do!?

A: Dr. Dan Suiter is my go-to guy at UGA for ant information. He says they seem to be restricted to northwest Georgia. These ants are hard to control.

Dan knows of no bait that will control them. Several years ago a bait trial was conducted in Fayette County. The ants collected 4 lbs. (not a misprint) of a granular bait but this did not get rid of them. Dan suspects they collected the bait but did not eat it (in the research world this is known as “bait dumping”—i.e., just because they collect it doesn’t mean they’re going to eat it).

The pest control industry has no answers either. Termidor insecticide can be used to kill ants, but ONLY around and next to a structure.

Another option is to treat nest sites with a liquid pyrethroid insecticide like bifenthrin (click for sources), permethrin (click for sources) or deltamethrin (click for sources). With a rake, expose nest sites and spray as many ants as possible. There’s no need to treat the whole yard. Be sure to read and follow the label.

DO NOT apply pyrethroids around water, as they’re toxic to fish.

See page 25 of Management of Pest Insects In and Around the Home