What Really WORKS Against Fire Ants?
Early in the summer, I noticed a shortage of fire ants, and so remarked. I was hoping that global warming was killing them off, but it was not to be. We got some cooler weather and some rain, and BOOM! Fire and mounds everywhere.
My normal M.O. is to carry a shaker can of Orthene (acephate) powder with me when I mow, and I dose mounds as I come to them. I must have put Orthene on 30 mounds last time I mowed. Ran out of Orthene.
I like the Orthene. It is a contact poison, and I like that method of killing better than I to the baits, but I am open to suggestions.
My place is a little over 4 acres, and is situated long and narrow, so I have a lot of border fence with my north and south neighbors. Near as I can tell, my neighbors don't treat for fire ants, and this is a problem. Another problem is that people tell me it is better to not disturb the mound when treating it, and since I treat as I mow, not disturbing the mound is impossible. Usually I don't know it is there until I have chopped off the top of it and really pissed off the ants.
If you use a product for killing fire ants, and if it WORKS for you, please tell me what it is. Please don't tell me about something you heard about on the radio; I hear the ads, too. I want to hear about what WORKS, from your experience. Cheap is good, too, but I will pay more for something that works.
I am looking for a product that is ready to use, out of the container, either for dosing mounds or broadcasting. I can do it either way. I don't care to use a product that requires mixing or watering. A long time ago, I tried an "organic" product that required mixing with water, pouring into the mound, and then drenching the mound with several buckets full of boiling water. Too much trouble, and if I wanted to boil water, that in and of itself will kill out a mound.
My normal M.O. is to carry a shaker can of Orthene (acephate) powder with me when I mow, and I dose mounds as I come to them. I must have put Orthene on 30 mounds last time I mowed. Ran out of Orthene.
I like the Orthene. It is a contact poison, and I like that method of killing better than I to the baits, but I am open to suggestions.
My place is a little over 4 acres, and is situated long and narrow, so I have a lot of border fence with my north and south neighbors. Near as I can tell, my neighbors don't treat for fire ants, and this is a problem. Another problem is that people tell me it is better to not disturb the mound when treating it, and since I treat as I mow, not disturbing the mound is impossible. Usually I don't know it is there until I have chopped off the top of it and really pissed off the ants.
If you use a product for killing fire ants, and if it WORKS for you, please tell me what it is. Please don't tell me about something you heard about on the radio; I hear the ads, too. I want to hear about what WORKS, from your experience. Cheap is good, too, but I will pay more for something that works.
I am looking for a product that is ready to use, out of the container, either for dosing mounds or broadcasting. I can do it either way. I don't care to use a product that requires mixing or watering. A long time ago, I tried an "organic" product that required mixing with water, pouring into the mound, and then drenching the mound with several buckets full of boiling water. Too much trouble, and if I wanted to boil water, that in and of itself will kill out a mound.
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What's a fire ant? 0 -
quote:Originally posted by zipperzap
What's a fire ant?
It's those little things that Mexicans eat with their breakfast.
That's probably why there are none around southern California -- all have been eaten !!!
I also hear that fire kills them.
Thanks---Peabo0 -
Take a 3/4 inch pipe and stick it into the nest down to the bottom where the queen hangs out. Mix a little gasoline with used motor oil and pour a tablespoon or two down the pipe. The queen will die and the rest will go away without their queen. Liquid Drano works very well too and is bio-degradable. 0 -
quote:peabo:
What's a fire ant?
It's those little things that Mexicans eat with their breakfast.
That's probably why there are none around southern California -- all have been eaten !!!
I also hear that fire kills them.
Thanks---Peabo
Ahhh. So THOSE are fire ants, eh"
There are many words/phrases that you guys speak of that I am unfamiliar with. (see? no ex-professor here!)
Here are some of the words/phrases that absolutely mystify me,.
snow
blizzard
ice
sleet
humidity
ice storm
hurricane
flood
tornado
mosquito
I shall now add 'fire ant' to the list.
Gracias, senior!
[:D]0 -
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Just think if Texas piled up loads of Fire Ants on the border. ( my lunch beer buzz is almost over !! ) 0 -
quote:Originally posted by zipperzap
quote:peabo:
What's a fire ant?
It's those little things that Mexicans eat with their breakfast.
That's probably why there are none around southern California -- all have been eaten !!!
I also hear that fire kills them.
Thanks---Peabo
Ahhh. So THOSE are fire ants, eh"
There are many words/phrases that you guys speak of that I am unfamiliar with. (see? no ex-professor here!)
Here are some of the words/phrases that absolutely mystify me,.
snow
blizzard
ice
sleet
humidity
ice storm
hurricane
flood
tornado
mosquito
I shall now add 'fire ant' to the list.
Gracias, senior!
[:D]
And you try to make us believe that you are originally from - was it Pennsylvania ??? and you don't know what the words Ice, snow, blizzard are?
I think you blow smoke every chance you get.
Thanks---Peabo0 -
I haven't seen it snow for 57 years. I'm almost 63. My memory isn't
what it used to be a half century ago.
I remember it was white ... not much else. I'm sorry.
[:D]0 -
try grits. 0 -
The best method of getting rid of anything is that u have to BUNCH them (BLUE MT.BUNCHING METHOD by WALLIE INC.) Killing a few here and there will not work 0 -
Back in Georgia I frequently heard that you could kill them with grits.
Sprinkle some grits near the mound, the ants will eat the grits, and the grits will swell up inside the ant and kill.
I never tried it, really, it sounded like bs, but is a common rural legend in central Georgia.0 -
quote:Originally posted by zipperzap
I haven't seen it snow for 57 years. I'm almost 63. My memory isn't
what it used to be a half century ago.
I remember it was white ... not much else. I'm sorry.
[:D]
I think that's what they call that stuff up on top of the mountains.
Of course we do have Santa Annas, killer bees, black widows, rattlesnakes, fire storms, floods, mud slides & the ever popular earthquakes. Can't say that I miss the thunderstorms & tornados.0 -
Amdro
Read the directions and follow them; do NOT apply the bait by dumping it on top of the hill (as I often see people do).0 -
...The only thing that has ever worked for me long term, a broom handle and about 2oz. gas, a glass spice bottle works well. Poke the center of the mound as for as the handle goes in easily, then pour in an ounce or two of gas...stand back and throw a match. The cavities or tunnels, whatever, give no resistance to the broom stick, you will know when you've reached the bottom of the mound; 8-10" or so depending on the size of the mound.
...You can destroy 15-20 mounds in an hour this way.
...As the fire burns down, poke down thru the mound further toward the edge...and it flames back up a little. Keep poking, and it will keep flaming a small flame for about 5 min. Takes awhile, but Ive destroyed more mounds for good this way than with every glow in the dark chemical on the market. Poke, Pour, and Burn...then poke some more, it works.
...I'm not going into the nit picky "safety" part, as I know you, and pretty sure you wont burn yourself or anything else up...[:D]
...With all the rain we've had, no biggie...[;)]0 -
pour a bunch of water ants on them. 0 -
Nunn, go to your local garden center and get a chemical called SPINOSAD. it is VERY SAFE to use it will kill the main nest and surrounding nests within one week. It is made by ferti-loam,hy-yeild
and bonide chemical co. or if you want faster results get some
24 hour pest and grub control with DYLOX this is made by BAYER
CHEMICAL and durn costly ($20.00-25.00 per bag) JODY0 -
Tide detergent! Sprinkle it like Amdro. 0 -
Use a small "Pole-Drill" (one of those earth-drills for when you put in a pole for a fence or something) to get to the center of the mound.
Pour in liquid nitrogen or dry ice, cover up lightly.
It worked with regular ant mounds back in Denmark, but ok - liquid nitrogen and dry ice was somewhat easy to come by. [;)]0 -
I've had the best luck with Amdro. It's much more expensive than Ortho and other similar brands, but it works, and it doesn't take much of the product. A little goes a long way. 0 -
Dealt with fireants in the hill country and San Antonio. Amdro on a dry day, no dew. 3-foot circle around mound. The ground being dry is very important. You don't want the workers dying on the way to the mound, and moisture releases the poison. They need to be able to take it down to the Queen. Fire ants can swarm on and kill a new born calf or fawn and kill it in 30 minutes. They are like bees, in that they emit a ferimone that attracts others when they attack, so the whole colony eventually joins in.
Put a very thin line of bait to form the circle.
I know that Amdro worked well when used correctly back then; the stuff that jmp posted may be the newer remedy. My experience was twenty-plus years ago.
F.0 -
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-I have not had to deal with fire ants, however we have a big problem with ants where I live when it gets warm.
I get 3 or 4 of these little squeeze bottles (they're usually yellow and look like mustard bottles with the pointed tip) of boric acid at the dollar store. The stuff is usually marketed as a roach killer, but it kills virtually any insect. It is good on wasp nests, too. One brand name is Roach Pruf, but there are many others. If you buy it on Death Row at the local Ace Hardware, it's more expensive. MAKE SURE you get the stuff that is 98% or 99% boric acid. Some have sugar and flour in them. Screw that! No sense in feeding the little mothers. Anyway, the BEST way to apply it is to buy a "puffer" device for about 15 bucks on the internet, but you can puff it out with the squeeze bottle it comes in. Shake the bottle, puff, shake the bottle again, puff, etc. The boric acid is a white powder and is not a poison as such. They get it on their feet and it interferes with their breathing and dessicates them.
To apply the stuff, I would follow the advice given here and poke a hole in the mound with a broom handle or large dowell, pump in a couple good slugs of this stuff and see how that flies. Can't hurt to try. I know that it stops the little mothers here cold. Understand that a little goes a long way; you don't need to put down a huge glob of the boric acid (not that it hurts). An almost-invisible dusting of it kills them, but dosing the mound will require more.
Also, the Tide trick probably does work, because it is soap. Soapy water kills ants. You can get big cheap bottles of dishwashing soap at the dollar store too. Poke a hole, squirt a big slug of concentrated dish soap down the hole and soak the mound real well. It sure won't do them any good.
Both these methods are "non-toxic". By that I mean the stuff bio-degrades and getting it on you, barring a drenching in it, won't hurt you.0 -
I know you are against using gasoline, but this way works and won't kill the grass in the top soil.
My father in law devised a way to kill fire ants in East Texas.
He got an old pump up style fire extinguisher, and attached a 4' long tube on the end. He then drilled several offset holes in the first 6 inches of the tube. He filled the extinguisher with gasoline, jammed it down in the mound and pumped it full of gasoline. He said it wouldn't kill them all, but made enough difference to where they moved the mound, and the mound would get smaller everytime they moved-- eventually they were all gone off his property.0
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