Fire Ant Abatement Program Set for Cool Springs

COOL SPRINGS EAST, Tenn. -- Nancy Downey, a resident of Cool Springs East, has volunteered her time to help spread the word about the fire ant abatement that is scheduled today. 

Neighbors in the Cool Springs East area have concluded that many of them have an infestation of fire ants.

Today, neighbors in The Woods, The Knolls, The Meadows and The Village will participate in a state abatement event to help get rid of the ants.

According to one of the organizers, Shane Sanford, he found out about the ants when he was stung last October.

“I was just walking across my back yard and walked through what I thought was a molehill. Several of the ants got on me but I was only bitten by one. It looked like a bee sting, but 12 hours later it started to hurt. It takes about a month to heal. I have a 6-year-old who plays out in the yard all the time, so I’m concerned. Apparently, mounds can pop up overnight.”

Sanford said he was one of the lucky ones. A neighbor suffered about 20 bites. Neighbors also reported that one man had to go to the hospital because of an allergic reaction after being stung.

Lisa Popham said that she, too, has found mounds — which popped up overnight — but had no idea what they were.

“My husband realized what we had and bought something at Home Depot that said it would kill fire ants. We haven’t seen any this summer.”

Another resident of the neighborhood, Carol Croop, said her son was in Florida on a retreat and was stung when he stepped out on the beach.

“Within 15 minutes he was having trouble breathing. He apparently is very allergic to them,” Croop said.

DeWayne Perry, director of the county’s UT Agricultural Extension Service, said the area around Cool Springs was the primary target with the most sitings reported, though all homes and businesses could have fire ants.

Mounds can be large and look similar to a molehill but they can also be smaller and closer to curbs and sidewalks where there is more heat. Another indication of fire ants is that the ants are not all the same size.

“Fire ants can travel from area to area through plant and landscaping materials as well as in construction equipment moved from location to location,” Perry said. “We think that some of infestation came from landscaping materials brought in.

“The ants also can be a problem to ecosystems because they are omnivorous, feeding on almost any plant or animal material, even ground-nesting animals ranging from insects and reptiles to birds. They can attack young saplings and seedlings, destroy buds and developing fruits, and have been known to feed on the seeds of some native wildflowers and grasses.

“Homeowners can now buy products that will help to kill these ants, but the trick is to kill the queen ant,” Perry added. “Otherwise she’ll just keep reproducing more. It takes time for the applications to work, so we have to be patient.”