 All too frequently, people work too hard and spend too much money trying to control fire ants. Never use home remedies such as gasoline, battery acid or bleach. They can be dangerous to apply and can contaminate the environment. Other home remedies include grits, soap solutions and wood ashes. They have not been proven to be effective in eliminating fire ant colonies. Non-chemical control methods such as disturbing the mounds by leveling or excavating are only partially successful. Pouring one to three gallons of very hot water on a mound will eliminate the colony about 60% of the time. However, the hot water can be dangerous to the applicator and can kill surrounding vegetation. Fire ants can indeed be frustrating, but we can make them easier to live with by using a sound management plan that includes a combination of approaches.