Ants. How do i stop them?

[Kelly_bean83]

We seem to have an ant problem with the duck food dish. Is there any way to prevent this or get the critters to go away? Or are they not harmful at all to my ducks (swedish)? Just curious. It seems every single time i change out the food bowl theres more ants. *sigh*.

And flies. Any way to get rid of those? Or are those just a part of raising ducks?

thanks!!!
-Kelly

 

[The Egg Bandit]

For the ants, you could set the feed bowl inside a tray with a little water - works on my dog food bowls. And for the flies, you could try Muscovy ducks. They LOVE hunting flies.
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[ArizonaNessa]

I have found that if I put down a good amount of DE (making like a place mat) and then put the food dish in the center, nothing gets in it and it won't hurt the animals.

 

[Kelly_bean83]

Quote:
DE? whats that? and how do i find it?

and the water around the dish is a good idea. ill try both!

thanks!

 

[ArizonaNessa]

DE is food grade diatomaceous earth. It can be found at your local feedstore and online. Buying it online is kind of a joke because of the shipping costs. If your feedstore does not have it they can order you some. You could also try your local garden supply. Make sure it is food grade and not pool grade. Pool grade is too high in silica. Food grade is safe for you, your family, and all your pets. It also helps keep things dry, keeps down flies, works great on bugs, can be added to food for internal parasite control (some disagree on this). Anyway it has lots of uses and its a great thing to have around

 

[Break an Egg]

Put cornmeal on the nests, it won't hurt any animals, except the ants, they can't digest it. It's also cheap and easy to find.

I bought 1 bag of food grade DE, two summers ago, I wasn't overly impressed,

I never bought another bag. The cornmeal on the ant's nest works better IMHO.

 

[Kelly_bean83]

so how do i use the DE?

 

[FenDruadin]

The best, cheapest, easiest solution I've found for ant problems anywhere is to lay out a solution of water, sugar, and either borax or boric acid. Boric acid works fastest and is usually available at the pharmacy--you may have to ask the pharmacist to show you where it is. Borax, of course, is a laundry additive available in the laundry section in a large box.

Mix the sugar & chemical (whichever one you choose) in a 50/50 proportion and dissolve in hot water to form a syrup or paste. Add some food coloring (I use red for danger) so you can see where it is after you apply it. Place it on a piece of cardboard or scrap wood in an area the ants are crossing to get where you don't want them. Make sure it is out of reach of children and pets, because it will taste sweet but be highly toxic to them.

The ants will eat it like candy, and carry it back to the colony. It will eventually (in a day if you use boric acid, three to four days if you use borax) kill the entire colony, including the queen.

I don't usually do this, but when they have decided that my house or feed room is their favorite foraging area, it's the quickest and most effective way to put an end to it. Of course, other colonies may come in eventually and replace the pests you've gotten rid of, so it's important to address the root of the problem and try to make sure there are no readily available food sources--the dish in water idea is great.

I have heard that DE works great, and will help with flies too. However, it will also kill all the other insects and worms that the ducks love to feed on, so it's a bit of a trade-off.

Good luck!

 

[ArizonaNessa]

Quote:
You just sprinkle it everywhere. After I dust my coops I often come out looking like Lucille Ball in a flour factory