Question From: C. Starck - WISCONSIN
Q: I have large patches of lawn that died last summer in the drought and over the winter. When I started to rake up the dead grass, I noticed millions of red ants come to the surface when the soil was disturbed. The ground is still very wet and there are no anthills anywhere. When I walk around in the area, no ants come up to crawl on or bite me. Could these ants be some other kind of ant or are they fire ants for sure?
A:
Cynde, The good news is you don't have fire ants. They can't survive our lovely winters. The other good news is the ants are loosening the soil so seed will readily grow there. Sow new seed when the soil temperatures reach 50 degrees. I use one of the instant read meat thermometers to check the temperature. Best And Happy Yardening, Nancy
