When the weather gets hot, it's time to put the heat on fire ants.

Bart Drees

Recent rains have brought fire ants, packing a mean bite, to the soil's surface.

May through September is a good time to treat for them, because the ants actively forage for food then, according to Texas Cooperative Extension. The methods the Extension recommends in its Texas Two-Step Method depend on the ants being active.

And for those who don't want to use chemicals, there are treatments that both the Extension and organic experts agree on.

The Texas Two-Step Method: First, broadcast bait over the entire yard; second, treat individual mounds.

The baits act slowly but last a long time. The fastest-acting of them kill within 2 to 4 weeks, while those that use a growth regulator require 2 to 6 months for control. So, be patient.

The second step, treating individual mounds, involves faster-acting poisons. To limit the amount of chemicals you use, however, treat mounds only if you need immediate action. Alternatively, the Extension says, if you have only a few mounds, you can treat just the individual mounds instead of broadcasting baits.

Insecticides for individual mound treatments come in granular form, liquid concentrates, dusts and others. Nonchemical means include physically moving the ants with a shovel or pouring boiling water on them.

There also are naturally occurring insecticides, for broadcasting and for individual mounds. Those insecticides are in products that both chemical and organic gardeners could use.

One such bait that the Extension recommends contains spinosad as its active ingredient. It's a naturally occurring product that attacks the nervous system of fire ants and doesn't harm vertebrates. To treat individual mounds, organic gardeners can use products that contain d-limonene. D-limonene is an extract of orange oil that destroys the wax coating of the insect's respiratory system.

The tell-tale fire ant mound.

A big difference between baits and individual mound treatments is that baits generally are not watered in, while most of the mound treatments are. If rain falls within eight hours or so after the baits are applied, you have wasted your money.

The insecticides can be found at most garden centers and retail stores.

By the way, if the mounds are in out-of-the-way places, you may want to consider just leaving them alone. The ants are probably performing a service for you by keeping down the populations of more annoying insects, such as fleas.

On his Web site, www.dirtdoctor.com , organic expert Howard Garrett has a three-step program to control fire ants. He recommends:

•Drenching mounds with Liquid Fire Ant Control formula – "mix one part compost tea, 1 part molasses and one part orange oil. Mix 4-6 ounces of the concentrate per gallon of water."

•Treat the site with beneficial nematodes.

•Go completely organic with lawn care to create a biodiverse environment.