Ants & Boric Acid

[bgreen65]

Is boric acid safe to use in the chicken yard and hen house to control ants????
Bobby

 

[LynneP]

Only if you use the kind enclosed in those tiny cans...

A better choice is to get a bag of food-grade diatomaceaous earth and sprinkle it around the footings/foundations regularly. We use it around our barn and coop and house to keep ants out. Much safer!

 

[bgreen65]

Thanks , Lynn, my run has been invaded by big red ants, they have honey combed all under it. They are every where.
Bobby

 

[MysticScorpio82]

Here is a thread I found that is discussing how to to get rid of fire ants.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=150578

I hope you find some help it!!

 

[TammyTX]

I used boric acid on fireants a few years ago. It did knock the ants back just a little, but it KILLED the grass for TWO YEARS! Some spots are still bare. I would save boric acid for inside the house.

....lemme hear a D'OH!

 

[WalkingWolf]

I have been drowning my ants, every time I change water in my 5 and 3 gallon buckets I pour it slowly into the ant mound which will collapse to funnel the water. After about a week the mound becomes inactive. They do relocate if the queens are not drowned but eventually I have fewer and fewer ants and mounds.

I have heard you can get quicker results by pouring boiling water into the mound. I have not tried it yet.

 

[TammyTX]

You can pour boiling water on a fire ant mound and it will make the thousands of ant eggs plump up like grains of rice which the chickens will then eat.

I did this years ago and the chickens started scratching the ant eggs out before the ground could cool! It didn't even phase them. I would have preferred they not dig in boiling hot mud and if I do it again I'll put a laundry basket or something over the mound until it cools.

 

[spook]

Very interesting subject. We do not have fire ants here where I am, but carpenter ants are horrible! I have got to find some DE for around the house, I often worry about it because of the cat pens, but it will not harm the cats at the same time ridding ants.
We use Borax in the house as a powder. They pick it up passing through it and take it back to the nest killing the whole bunch of them. Also we had a sudden decline in fleas many years ago using borax around all the cracks and work it into carpeting, or sprinkling it under the pad.
Thanks for the subject and good luck!

 

[TammyTX]

Spook...

Borax or Boric Acid? Borax you use for the laundry (and soap making).

 

[leitha2006]

A bit late but to kill ants I use 1 part Borax and 1 part sugar. Mix is up and sprinkle in the amt area. They eat it because of the sweet sugar and explode from the soap.