Arlington's 100+ parks, extensive trail systems, and residential yards across the Mid-Cities corridor harbor some of the densest fire ant populations in the DFW metroplex. The combination of warm clay soils, irrigated athletic fields, and decades of established colonies creates year-round fire ant pressure that DIY treatments can't control. Romex uses a proven two-step approach: broadcast bait followed by targeted mound treatment.
What type of property needs service?
Note: We do not service trailer homes or vehicles.
Arlington operates one of the largest municipal park systems in Texas — over 100 parks covering thousands of acres. This extensive green space, combined with heavily irrigated residential yards and warm Tarrant County soils, creates an ideal environment for red imported fire ants. The city's location between Dallas and Fort Worth means fire ant populations are never isolated — continuous urban habitat connects colony networks across the entire Mid-Cities corridor.
AT&T Stadium, Globe Life Field, Six Flags Over Texas, and the surrounding Entertainment District maintain vast irrigated landscapes that support fire ant colonies year-round. These commercial properties create reservoir populations that continuously reinvade adjacent residential neighborhoods in North Arlington, East Arlington, and South Arlington.
River Legacy Park (1,300+ acres along the Trinity River), Veterans Park, Randol Mill Park, and the extensive Arlington trail system are persistent fire ant hotspots. Children, athletes, dog walkers, and outdoor enthusiasts face real sting risks — especially between March and October when colonies are most active and aggressive. Fire ant stings cause painful welts in most people and potentially life-threatening anaphylaxis in venom-allergic individuals.
Individual mound treatments are a losing battle — fire ant colonies simply relocate. Our two-step method eliminates existing colonies and prevents reinvasion from neighboring properties.
We apply professional-grade granular bait across your entire yard — not just visible mounds. Fire ant foragers carry the bait back to the colony and feed it to nestmates and the queen through trophallaxis. In Arlington's irrigated landscapes, we time applications for dry periods when foraging activity peaks (early morning or late afternoon).
48–72 hours after broadcast bait, we return to treat remaining active mounds with a targeted drench or dust. This catches colonies that were deep underground during the bait phase. In the Mid-Cities, we pay particular attention to mounds along fence lines, sidewalk edges, and irrigation valve boxes where colonies concentrate.
We establish a residual barrier around your property's perimeter to intercept migrating queens after mating flights. In Arlington, spring and fall mating flights produce thousands of newly mated queens looking to establish colonies — perimeter defense is what prevents reinfestation from neighboring properties and common areas.
Fire ant control is ongoing, not one-and-done. Our technicians return on a scheduled cadence to inspect for new mound activity and reapply treatments as needed. We track activity patterns across the Mid-Cities to anticipate seasonal surges — typically March–May and September–November in North Texas.
Fire ant mounds appear rapidly after rain events — sometimes overnight. In the Mid-Cities's clay soils, mounds can reach 18 inches tall and extend 2–3 feet underground. What you see above ground is just the top of a much larger colony structure.
Unlike native ant species, red imported fire ants swarm aggressively when their mound is disturbed — climbing vertically and stinging simultaneously. If you see ants pouring out of a mound within seconds of contact, they are almost certainly fire ants.
Fire ants are attracted to electrical fields. In our experience across the Mid-Cities, we frequently find colonies in transformer boxes, irrigation valve housings, and AC disconnect switches. This can cause equipment failure and creates a sting hazard for service technicians.
Fire ants follow structural edges — sidewalks, driveways, fence lines, and garden borders. If you see a steady line of small reddish-brown ants along these features, the colony is nearby. We've found that Arlington properties with extensive hardscaping often have more concentrated colony activity along these pathways.
A single property can host 10–20+ fire ant colonies, especially in the Mid-Cities's warm climate. If you see three or more mounds, broadcast treatment is far more effective than treating individual mounds — the colonies you can't see outnumber the ones you can.
Fire ant colony activity disrupts grass root systems, creating circular dead patches around mounds. In irrigated lawns, these patches may appear as areas where grass thins or yellows despite adequate water — the underground tunneling has damaged root contact with soil.
Fire ants are active year-round, with peak mound activity March–May and September–November. Arlington's 100+ parks and extensive green spaces create concentrated fire ant habitat adjacent to residential neighborhoods.
Arlington's park system — including athletic fields, playgrounds, and trail systems — maintains irrigated turf that supports fire ant colonies year-round. These public spaces create reservoir populations that continuously reinvade adjacent residential neighborhoods.
Step one: broadcast bait across the entire yard — foragers carry it to every colony. Step two: 48–72 hours later, targeted mound treatments. This achieves 90%+ elimination versus 30–40% with mound-only treatment.
Yes. Stings deliver venom causing painful, pustule-forming welts. Young children, elderly residents, and pets are at highest risk. About 1% of people can experience life-threatening anaphylaxis from fire ant stings.
Yes. Romex provides fire ant control throughout Arlington, the Mid-Cities, Grand Prairie, Mansfield, Kennedale, and all Tarrant County communities. Free retreatment included.
Romex has protected Tarrant County homes since 2016. Locally managed. Two-Step Method. Free retreatment guarantee.
