HELP!!! fire ants killed one of my chicks

Date sort Score sort
The idea with the Bengal poison sounds ingenious. DE will not kill fire ants. If you can find the nest use boiling water. At least you won't have to hunt for it like an ant killer. If you can't find Bengal try Amdro. I get it at Lowe's. It kills 12 types of ants but of course it takes time for the poison to work and you can't use it around the chickens.

A lot of boiling water is what I would use right now. I'm so sorry about the chicks. That must have been horrible to witness.
 
You can get an ant killer called Amdro. If you put a tablespoon where the ants are on the top of hill is best. They will carry it all down into the nest and there will be no more ants in 2 or 3 hours. I hate to use it, but as a last resort if you can keep the chickens away till they carry it all into the nest. Don't even know if the chickens would even eat it. But would hate to chance it.

I hate those fire ants. Good Luck.

In the past I have bought amdro at wal-mart.
 
Boric Acid, sprinkle it around the mound and the outside of the pen where your broodies are, or lace something the ants think is food.

DE will help and so will that reptile calci-sand. It's abrasive and will work its way through the protective covering of the ants.

Of course, nothing works as fast as poisons.
 
Interesting. Fire ants must be having a population explosion. We have never had any problems with fire ants (we live in MN, and clay soil) but this year? I got attacked when I stepped off my steps yesterday!
Anyhow, I did a google, and this is the page I got http://www.google.com/search?q=get+rid+of+fire+ants&hl=en&sourceid=gd&rls=DHUS,DHUS:2006-14,DHUS:en&aq=t
Several of the posters recommended corn meal. But another said that the worker ants only eat liquids... so the cornmeal will not work. Oy. Seems as if there are as many old wives tales and bonified remedies out there as there are ants!
On the other hand, we have had NO fly problems. The ants eat the maggots. That gets me thinkin... if the can eat maggots and other bugs... wouldn't that mean the do eat cornmeal?

I am sorry about your chicks. And now we know we MUST get rid of the mass of ants we have. They are also known electrical buggers and can actually cause electrical fires from eating the wire coating.

I would recommend doing a Google on Fire ants!!!

Jayne
 
I have found a great way to kill fire ants that should not to my knowledge harm the chickens. A mixture of a mixture of 3 ounces dawn, 1.5 ounces pure orange oil (which I had to order online, not the easiest thing to find, but it's awesome) in one gallon of water seems to be a very effective remedy. I pour the stuff in a circle around the mound to start with (so they can't escape), then drench the mound good. You want to do it when they appear to be most active, I've heard early morning or late afternoon is best. The thing is, you will have to check for new mounds daily. It only kills the ones it comes in direct contact with, but as long as you keep on top of it good and keep getting the new mounds as they arrive, it seems to be far more effective than anything, including strong poisons that wouldn't be good for the chickens. After trying many different online remedies for an entire year, this seems to be the best in every way, more cost effective (although still not exactly cheap) that actually works. Good luck!
 

Similar threads

B
HELP: FIRE ANT ATTACK
Replies
3
Views
417
Barbie Q
B
E
    • Like
Did my rooster kill my chicken? Need advice.
Replies
3
Views
404
Tonyroo
Tonyroo
H
    • Wow
Ants swarming
Replies
4
Views
845
MarlaMac
MarlaMac
MCchickies
    • Sad
Baby chick pecked by broody hen URGENT!
6 7 8
Replies
75
Views
3K
WoDia
WoDia
B
New buttonquail raiser, possible broken leg with one chick.
Replies
1
Views
345
Wyorp Rock
Wyorp Rock

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom