Q: I’ve noticed fire ant mounds appearing recently on our property. What are the best products? 

A: Fire ant control products can be divided into two categories: baits and contact poisons. Baits work very well but they are slow: it might take weeks to see much difference. Contact poisons are usually fast but you run the risk of leaving small mounds untreated. Given a chance, these will soon become large. Texas A&M University has done the most research on fire ant management. They have a website that gives an excellent summary of different products and how fast they work. Details at bit.ly/GAbestant.