Will Ant Hills Damage a Yard?

Ants in the Lawn

• According to the University of Kentucky, "[a]nts are the most frequent and persistent pests encountered around homes and buildings." Their presence is sometimes a serious problem, always a nuisance and almost never a blessing. In the particular context of lawn care, knowing whether ants inflict damage to your lawn is essential to knowing whether or not they should be removed.

Ant Hills

• Certain ant species build and live inside mounds and will always do so. Other species only build mounds under certain favorable conditions. Anthills are an eyesore, but rarely damage a lawn. An excessively large mound can block sunlight from law grass and underground foraging can occasionally damage grass roots. It is very rare that an ant mound is large enough and persists long enough in the lawn for this damage to occur. Homeowners more often necessitate removal of anthills in the yard by the fact that they are a tripping hazard for people traveling on the lawn and that they make mowing and general lawncare difficult.

Removal Methods

• Identify the species before attempting to remove an anthill. When a fire ant mound is disturbed, the fire ants living inside attack the person disturbing the mound in seconds, causing numerous painful stings. In this case, pesticide controls are usually a safer option than mechanical removal. For ant mounds created by species other than fire ants, simply rake over the mound to destroy it. Monitor the area to see if the ants rebuild the mound. Often, the raking alone compels the ants to leave. If the ants do rebuild the mound, chemical controls may be necessary.

Other Considerations

• Pesticide formulations for ant control usually contain diazinon, carbaryl or a pyrethroid compound. The most effective type of ant insecticide comes in granulated form applied to ant mounds after they have been raked to ground level. Worker ants mistake the granules for food and carry the granules to the queen. When the queen eats the insecticide and dies, the entire ant colony soon follows.