Ants in the Coop

[angelburch]

I have ants in our coop and am looking for a "safe" insecticide to get rid of them. Any ideas?

 

[oaklandmama]

Your chickens don't eat them? Ours eat every creepy crawlie that dares inter the coop. I think DE works on ants though, people use it as a barrier. If they try to cross a line of DE it cuts them up.

 

[dewey]

Same here, I just sprinkle some DE and that takes care of any ants. Ants that are not near the coop get a soap wash...just takes a little longer than DE.

 

[vclark321]

If the chickens are not eating them, then I would use food grade diatomacious earth. It has multiple benefits. It will take care of the ants. Good luck!

 

[bertman]

Whenever I put fruit or veggies in the run for the girls, the ants gather on the leftovers or rinds very quickly--by the gazillion. They're those tiny little black ants and the chickens don't touch them. It doesn't seem to be a major problem--just an annoyance at this point. Should I be more concerned?

Also, I sprinkle DE in the run and the coop but I don't use a whole lot in the run because it seems like it's a waste. Today I saw a small bug in the coop while I was cleaning and dusting it with DE. It looked almost like a mutant, pale roach with a body about one-quarter inch long. Does anyone know what it might be? I'm hoping the DE got it, but I'd still like to know what it was.

Thanks and good luck with your ant problem, angelburch.

 

[angelburch]

These are Fire Ants, and the chickens and ducks don't seem the least bit interested in eating them. Do I put the DE around the outside of the coop (we have concrete floors covered with pine shavings), or around the inside walls?

 

[bertman]

From what I have read on BYC, and what I do, the easiest and most effective way to use it is with a cheap kitchen flour sifter. I bought a metal one with the squeeze-type handle. Always use a dust mask and wear gloves. Inside the coop, I give a good coating of the powder on the coop pellets and even use a turkey baster to squirt the DE into corners but some folks just use an old soda bottle with holes poked in the cap and squeeze it to get the powder into the hard-to-get spots.

In the run, I just sift away until there's a light dusting on everything at ground level. Then I often toss in some dried oak/maple leaves from the yard and let the girls work the DE into the soil with their scratching.

I still have the tiny ants, but so far no problem with flies or other bugs.

Some people dust weekly. I'm slack about it and only do it every two or three weeks, so I might end up with a problem.

Good luck.

 

[Debby R]

Perhaps a silverfish or a German roach. Don't know where you live.