On Oct 14, 3:31*pm, Alex wrote:
We have a crazy problem with fire ants in our 6 month old house. *It
started out a month ago when we found the garbage in our master bath
covered in fire ants. *I sprayed Ortho Home Defense around the tub
then walked outside to find where they were coming in, but no trails
going up the foundation. *So the next day we found more in our closet
and in the second bathroom (which backs up to master bath). *I sprayed
in there and the ants migrated to the bedrooms hitting our kids and
ours then the laundry room.

I sprayed each room as I found ants and called a local exterminator to
come help since all this time I hadn't seen a single fire ant coming
into the house in the foundation or any nests near the house. *We had
some fire ant beds in the yard, but none near the foundation.

The bug guy came out and dusted the attic, sprayed the house and yard,
and baited the yard (this is now a week since the first outbreak in
the master bath) and for about a week this seemed to do the trick. We
saw some stragglers which was to be expected, but nothing big for a
few days. *Then two separate days we had a line of ants going into our
living room from an exterior wall. *I sprayed more Ortho and checked
outside, and as before nothing... no ants coming into the foundation
were seen. *The day after this they moved into the attic and were
coming out of a near by air duct which was just freaky!

I called the bug guy again and he came out and put gel bait outside
the house above the foundation and said they were probably attracted
to the moisture in the air duct which is why they went up there. *We
continued seeing them coming out sporadically for a day or two, but I
put some Ortho on a paper towel and rubbed it against the vent which
seemed to stop them.

We were then bug free short of a few in the bathrooms at times for
about another week then our kitchen was hit, which is on the complete
opposite side of the house from any other area that's been hit to this
point. *Our sink sits on an island surrounded by two pillars that go
floor to ceiling, and literally hundreds of fire ants were coming out
from a small hole where the countertop, wall, and backsplash met and
were attacking the sink. *I wasn't sure if they were coming from that
attic or what, but the bug guy said he's pretty sure they were coming
up from the pipes in the foundation. *He dusted in the hole then
behind the sink where the pipes come up plus in both bathrooms. *We
haven't seen any ants in the kitchen, but on Monday we had an invasion
in our front bathroom from under the baseboard that's opposite of the
toilet, sink, or tub. *The bug guy had told me not to use Ortho since
it could counteract what he put down, so I just soaked the floor in
Clorox Bleach bathroom cleaner and that did it... *I haven't seen any
more there since that night.

Since then we've seen a few in the other bathroom plus some dead ones
in the living room where both the bug guy and I have sprayed, so I
think they're still trying to come in. *But the thing that sucks is
still I've seen zero ants in the yard or on the foundation. I walk the
house inside out several times a day, and outside seems to be doing
great.

So my only conclusion is they're either in the attic or in the
foundation, but I'm leaning more towards the foundation. *So with that
is there any chance in getting rid of them??? *I'm literally to the
point of cutting holes in the walls to expose the pipes and where they
enter the house so we can cover it in ant bait or poison in hopes that
does the trick. *The dust the bug guy put down was just sprayed behind
the cabinets, but I want to bait the things so they'll take any poison
back to the nests and kill the suckers.

Has anyone ever heard or seen such a fire ant invasion? *We're in
Central Texas so fire ants are common, but I've never heard of them
this bad. *The bug guy said he was dumbfounded and would have someone
with more experience with fire ants come out, but in the mean time I'm
at a loss on what we can do. *It seems these little turds can
literally come out of any place in the house at any time, and with a
3yo and new born that's scary.

Thanks for any advice or suggestions... *And sorry for such a long
post, but hopefully this gives anyone with experience with pest
control some pattern's I'm missing.

Sam Alex

Fire ants tend to swarm at night right after a rain. (I have no idea
how they develop wings so fast). When they're swarming they are
attracted to lights in the house and will come in around windows &
doors, anywhere they find a crack. So if you can't find a obvious
entry point for them, this may be a possibility. I spent many nights
this summer with the main lights off and using shaded desk lamps after
I got infested like you describe.