To take care of his lawn in time for Cinco de Mayo, Hank fires Dale as his exterminator, who doesn't take it well and goes out of his way to sabotage his lawn. Bobby ends up becoming something of a slave for the ants he's keeping as pets.
This episode contains examples of:
- All-Natural Snake Oil: Peggy buys a pesticide because it has "eco" in the name, and says that the government wouldn't let them use the word "eco" unless it was "ecologically safe". A close-up of the box reveals that "eco" stands for "Economical".
- Berserk Button: Hank gets really pissed off when Peggy tells him how Dale sabotaged his lawn and almost kicks his ass for it.
- Blatant Lies: When Peggy goes into Dale's basement for sugar, she discovers his plans of sabotaging Hank's lawn, with a model of the Hill house with signs of when to plant ants and has a whole jar of them. Dale even flat out denies it, even claiming the ants were "silk worms".
- Break the Haughty: This episode is this for Hank and his pride of having the best lawn in Arlen, all invoked by a disgruntled Dale.
- Cassandra Truth:
- With Dale, who being an exterminator, should know that fire ants will sting all at once, with Hank arguing that only half do, while the others are on defense. The guys side with Hank. Becomes something on an Ironic Echo when Hank finds Bobby covered in fire ants and warns him not to move or they'll all sting him at once.
- Hank gets on the receiving end with Dale giving Bil advice on cooking sausages on a propane grill, using if there's not enough heat left, use lighter fluid, under the guise "Burn is burn".
- Cinco de Mayo: The episode takes place around the lead-up to the Cinco de Mayo block party.
- Despair Event Horizon: After Dale sprays for the last time, Hank walks up to see his lawn completely barren, which puts him on the verge of tears. He even gives up, states that he's not going to grow a new lawn anymore ("From now on, wood chips and gravel"), and sits on a lawn chair with sprinklers sinking him slightly.
- Dirty Coward: Dale attempts to drive off when an angry Hank chases him around his vehicle. Unfortunately for him, he’s unable to get in it and ends up being chased around the car.
- Disproportionate Retribution: In retaliation for Hank telling him not to spray his lawn anymore, Dale plants fire ants on it. Apparently, he tried to do it on the driveway, but they couldn't chew through the cement.
- Eye Scream: After Bobby is swarmed by hundreds of fire ants, he goes to his dad for help. Hank is currently busy attempting to attack Dale for turning his precious lawn into a mud pit and informs him as such, we are treated to Bobby's eyesight as he says "This really can't wait", during which we see a few ants crawling around on his eyes.
- Friend-or-Idol Decision: To help out in his lawn care, he ends up firing Dale as his exterminator, which puts a dent in their friendship, especially with Dale's attempts to sabotage the lawn. Hank reigns on the decision in a desperate attempt to save his lawn by hiring Dale back, not that it helps his lawn any.
- Friend to Bugs: Bobby and Joseph initially collect the fire ants to keep as pets. However down the line, Bobby ends up being mind controlled by the queen ant to do her bidding.
- Gaia's Vengeance: Invoked by Dale; when Bobby (covered in hundreds of fire ants) expresses doubt that the ants will swarm onto him, Dale assures Bobby that the ants will happily swarm, bite, and sting him on the grounds that since's he's a pest exterminator, they've been waiting to get a piece of him for 15 years.
- Immediate Self-Contradiction: Peggy is frustrated over the neighbors not bringing any authentically made Mexican food to the party, where she mentions Boomhauer wanting to bring Swiss cheese because it's American — she wants him to bring Monterey Jack.
- In-Character Commentary: This episode had a commentary by Bill and Dale.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Bill, Dale, Boomhauer and Kahn seem to think this for Hank after his lawn completely dies. Kahn even lampshades this. Dale soon gets himself an actual dose of karma when he has to let an entire swarm of fire ants bite him to save Bobby from the same fate.
- Major Injury Underreaction: How does Dale react to being bitten by over a thousand fire ants simultaneously? A brief shudder and a quiet "Youch", before passing out.
- Oh, Crap!:
- Bobby before the ants swarm him.
- Dale when Hank goes after him after learning he was responsible for his lawn being destroyed.
- Off with His Head!: Hank tries an eco-friendly way to kill fire ants by utilizing Ford flies that injects eggs into the ants's head, which hatch and gnaw on the brain till the head pops off. It doesn't work as Dale sabotages it.
- Papa Wolf: Hand it to Dale, his Taking the Bullet move to protect Bobby from the fire ants is pretty fatherly.
- Redemption Equals Death: Dale does this when he grabs Bobby's hand to get the swarm of ants on him, which sting him. Hank is touched by the sacrifice and forgives him for ruining his lawn. It's subverted though, when he doesn't die, but Hank is still touched nonetheless.
- Solar-Powered Magnifying Glass: Bobby and Joseph watch the fire ants with a magnifying glass and Bobby accidentally burns a couple.
- The Stinger: The square feet of lawn the neighbors give Hank cover just a modest chunk of his front yard, but Hank proudly mows the area.
- The Swarm: After Bobby frees the ants he's kept inside, they all suddenly turn on him and completely cover his body.
- Throw the Dog a Bone: The ending scene where the neighbors, Dale included, give Hank square feet of new lawn for him, which touches him.
- Unexplained Recovery: The In-Character Commentary points out that we don't find out how the ants lost control of Bobby.
