Piss ants is used fairly generically, there are probably many kinds that would be referred to that way. I've not heard anyone referring to fire ants as anything but that, so I had included that bit'o'info to differentiate, and agree that it doesn't look like a fire ant to me either. Sorry to have clouded the issue. AFAIK, those always build a mound too.
TY, Elaine! No, I wouldn't pour boiling water into a pot with a plant in it, just the ground if I can trace them to the spot where a ground nest/hole is, and that happens to be a spot where it would be harmless to anything but ants. Usually hard to follow their trail if it goes through the lawn, and almost always leads to the base of a live tree (where I also wouldn't put boiling water) or stump. If I had money for things like ant bait, I would buy an industrial load of it! Our whole town seems to be in/on a giant ant colony. I don't doubt one bit what you say, that killing thousands once in a while probably doesn't do much except make me feel better, for a few mins. There's no way they could all be killed, even if one battled them full-time and had unlimited access to an effective product. But it might be possible to clear them away from a house. I'll be thrilled to try someday, hopefully.
