Moved from Ohio to SC, AND THE FIRE ANTS! Grrr!!!

[edible_chicken]

I cannot believe how bad the fire ants are down here! What bedding can i use on coop floor AND nest that will keep fire ants out?. They are so bad, the chickens have stopped laying in their nests and i have no idea where they are laying. thank you!


EDIT

I have thought of using sand, but my wife said fire ants are attracted by sand. So i was thinking of using clay kitty litter for the coop floor. As for the nests, i was going to sprinkle sevin in the nest.

 

[7 Biddies]

What about food grade diotomaceous earth (DE)? It's supposed to kill insects with an exoskeleton. I found this information online:

"When an insect comes in contact with diatomaceous earth, it receives many small cuts that cause it to loose fatal amounts of body fluid. Diatomaceous earth is non-toxic and can be digested by earthworms, making it an environmentally friendly means of killing fire ants.

DE only works upon contact with ants. When using it, you must first agitate the nest to coax out the majority of the worker fire ants. You can then apply Diatomaceous earth to the exposed ants. The problem with diatomaceous earth is that there is no way to know with certainty if you have killed the queen. Monitor the nest carefully for several days after treatment for new ant activity and repeat treatments as needed. Diatomaceous earth used along side other treatments is an effective, environmentally friendly way to remove red fire ants.

Read more: Diatomaceous Earth to Kill Fire Ants | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/facts_7169952_diatomaceous-earth-kill-fire-ants.html#ixzz20eJ1EFrO

 

[wastintime202]

We have major fire ants here in Texas. I use DE in the coop and around the outside of coop and run I use animal vegetable sevin dust. It works just fine. When I let my 8 hens out to range around the yard they do not even go near the veggie dust so I have had no problems.