fire ant update

I woke up at 6:00 this morning to get my run done before the heat. wandered out to the backyard, figuring I'd check on the ants before I headed out - the plan was to mow the lawn when I finished my run, which it badly needs but hasn't gotten in more than a week because of the ant problem.

instead of a sad, dead colony, this is what I was greeted with:

[source]

thousands of angry ants, on either side of the fence, scurrying around with their larvae trying to move their nest away from their attacker (me). and not only was the destroyed hill swarming, but there were over a dozen more new small hills nearby. so I bagged the run for now, and went inside. three of my biggest pots went onto the stove to boil. I poured boiling water on both sides of the fence and all the new little hills. I poked at the old hill with a stick, and more ants came out, so more water went down. 

I am heading to lowes this morning for all my supplies for building the beds, so while I'm there I'll talk to someone about a chemical bait to help kill the ants for good. I have a feeling that the problem is bigger than I can see, and I'd rather deal with it completely while it's somewhat manageable.