The most dependable way to control fire ants in a Savannah lawn is the Two-Step Method from University of Georgia Extension: first, broadcast a fire ant bait labeled for lawns across the whole yard once or twice a year, with fall being the easiest time; then, after the bait has had about a week or more to work, treat only the individual mounds that are still a nuisance. Keep both steps away from ponds, ditches and other water. That is the whole program, and it is the one UGA recommends for home lawns (UGA CAES Field Report; UGA CAES Newswire).
The rest of this guide walks through each step, how to fit it into a Savannah lawn calendar, and what to ask if you would rather have a local company handle it.
Why the method has two steps
Most people start by dousing the mound they can see. The Two-Step Method reverses that order. The bait is spread over the entire lawn, not just on visible mounds, so it reaches the yard as a whole. The second step is a cleanup: once the bait has done its work, you treat the few mounds that remain where people walk, play or garden. Doing the broadcast first and the mound treatments second is the core of the UGA approach, and it keeps the amount of product you use on any one spot low.
Why fall is a good time to start in Savannah
UGA Extension calls fall the easiest time to treat for fire ants (UGA). In Savannah, fall also tends to be convenient. The wet season is behind you — June through September brings about 22 inches of the airport's 48 inches of yearly rain — and the median first fall freeze is not until November 30 (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). That usually leaves October and much of November with mild days for spreading bait and checking on mounds afterward.
UGA's guidance is to broadcast bait once or twice a year. If you do a second round, spring is the other natural slot, after the lawn is growing again.
Step 1: Broadcast a labeled bait across the lawn
- Choose a bait labeled for lawns and fire ants. The label is the instruction sheet for that product; follow it for rate, timing and weather.
- Expect a low rate. UGA notes most fire ant baits go down at only about 1 to 1.5 pounds of product per acre, which is why a spreader set to the label rate matters more than a heavy hand.
- Cover the whole yard, including the edges along beds, fences and the driveway, rather than just spot-baiting mounds.
- Stay away from water. UGA advises against applying near water. Many Chatham County yards back up to drainage ditches, ponds or marsh; leave a margin as the label directs.
- Leave mounds alone for now. Disturbing them right after baiting works against the first step.
Step 2: Treat the mounds that remain
After about a week or more, walk the yard. Any mound still active in a spot that matters — by the patio, the play set, the mailbox or a vegetable bed — gets an individual mound treatment with a product labeled for that use. Mounds in out-of-the-way corners can often wait for the next broadcast. Again, keep mound treatments away from water.
Fitting fire ants into a Savannah lawn calendar
Fire ant work slots in next to the other seasonal jobs on a coastal Georgia lawn:
- Mid-February: pre-emergent weed control on the coast, timed before soil reaches 55 °F (UGA).
- Spring: optional second fire ant broadcast.
- Summer: watch St. Augustine for chinch bugs in hot, sunny spots.
- September–October: preventive steps for large patch if your lawn has a history of it, and the fall fire ant broadcast.
Watering for the lawn itself still follows Savannah's year-round schedule; see the Savannah watering schedule for your days.
Doing it yourself vs. hiring a company
Plenty of homeowners do the Two-Step Method themselves. Georgia's pesticide contractor rule applies to businesses treating “the lands of another” for a fee, so a homeowner treating their own lawn with general-use products does not need that license (O.C.G.A. § 2-7-99). Others would rather fold fire ants into a regular weed control and fertilization plan or add it to their lawn mowing service so someone keeps the schedule.
Georgia license check. In Georgia, a business that applies pesticides — including weed killers, weed-and-feed, insect, fire ant or mosquito treatments — to someone else's property for a fee needs a Pesticide Contractor License from the Georgia Department of Agriculture, with a certified commercial applicator on staff (O.C.G.A. § 2-7-99). Lawn and shrub work falls under applicator Category 24 (Ornamental and Turf); mosquito control is Category 41. Ask for the license number and check it with the Georgia Department of Agriculture. Treatments around the home's foundation fall under Georgia's Structural Pest Control Act — ask for the company's structural pest control license.
This is general information, not legal advice.
Useful questions for any company you are comparing:
- Do you use a broadcast bait first, then mound treatments, or mound treatments only?
- How many broadcasts a year are included, and are follow-up mound treatments part of the price?
- How do you handle areas near ponds, ditches or marsh?
- Will anything be applied around the house foundation? If so, what is your structural pest control license?
- What is your Georgia Department of Agriculture pesticide contractor license number?
What fire ant treatment costs
No reliable local average was published for fire ant or weed control treatments in Savannah — get two or three quotes. What drives the price is the size of the treated area, whether you want one broadcast a year or two, whether mound follow-ups are included, and whether the treatment is bundled with other lawn care. For the services that do have published ranges, see our Savannah lawn care and landscaping prices. If mounds are part of a bigger mess of leaves and debris, a yard cleanup first makes the broadcast easier to spread evenly.
The short version
Bait the whole lawn, wait about a week, then treat the mounds that are left — once or twice a year, with fall as the easiest time, and never near water. Whether you do it yourself or hire it out, the method is the same.
We connect Savannah-area homeowners with independent local lawn care, landscaping and tree companies for free, no-obligation quotes. The company you choose quotes, contracts and does the work directly with you. Request a free quote and compare two or three before you decide.