Orange County Fire Ant Authority

What Do We Do?

The Orange County Fire Vector Control District is currently launching a full scale assault upon Red Imported Fire Ants. This assault can be divided into three components: survey, treatment, and public outreach.

	Survey
	Surveys are currently being conducted throughout Orange County by both technicians and by private citizens. Properties are surveyed using potato chip bait traps. These traps are identified with the "O.C. Fire Ant Survey" flag (see picture above), and have a basket filled with corn chips. RIFA are attracted to the oil on the chips and gather to feed. The traps are placed at intervals in a given location within a neighborhood. After a couple of hours following placement, the traps are collected and the baskets are placed in sealed plastic bags. The bags are placed in a freezer (to kill the ants) then the contents are identified by the staff.

	Treatment
	When a sample is identified as RIFA, field staff return to the location and treat the ground with two different types of fire ant baits: •Siege^®Pro (hydramethylnon) is a metabolic inhibitor used to directly treat the mound. •Distance^®is an insect growth regulator (pyriproxyfen) that is broadcast in a large area around the mound or position where a RIFA forager was located.

	Public Outreach
	Public education and community outreach has been essential for the success of the Red Imported Fire Ant eradication program. The Orange County Vector Control District is available for presentations upon request. (Visit our Public Outreach page for details) The eradication of the Red Imported Fire Ant cannot be successful without your help in locating RIFA infested areas. Please spread the word about the hazards of RIFA and if you suspect Fire Ants in your area. take a minute to perform a PEST TEST, call the Orange County Vector Control office at 714/971-2421, or Fire Ant Hotline 1-888-4FIREANT.

If you think you have
fire ants, let us know!