VASS, N.C. — Experts predict fire ants will infest 80 percent of North Carolina within the next five years. One town in Moore County said it has had enough of the anthills.

Dannie Jones said the ants have lived in the county for decades. He believes there are more ants these days and he does not know why.

"Man, they're pretty tough. I'm telling you, they're pretty tough," he said.

Many homes have 30 or 40 hills in their yards. Some mounds are almost a foot tall. Others are more than a foot wide.

"They're rough. They bite you," resident Willie Pearl Williams said. "They'll set you on fire."

Residents claim they have tried everything from pesticides to gasoline, but nothing has worked so far.

"We have kids in the neighborhood. They can't even play in the yard because anthills are everywhere," resident Jason Jones said.

Some people have life-threatening allergies to fire ant bites. Experts say there is not much you can do to rid your yard of the insects. They recommend certain pesticides that ants take back to their colonies.