ANTS!! Need help!!

[whytedragon]

So i've had ants kill all 20 or so of my Button Quail, only one survived and he was covered in ants. I tried DE, and it had no effect on the ants. They're getting in the Cockatiel food dishes, and the birds are so scared to go eat. I hung the feeders, and they still managed to get to it!
Good thing my Cockatiels are flighted...or else they'd have no way to really escape those pesky ants.
I'm afraid to put any poison in or around the aviary...PLEASE HELP!!

 

[Moxiechick]

What sort of enclosure are your birds in? Is there any way you could build a moat around it? Ants can't swim. Perhaps a barrier line of thick Vaseline might work.
As for the feeders, I have seen ant guards that are sold for humming bird feeders. Google "ant guard", and it will lead you to some sites. (I would post a link, but I'm on a work computer, and it's a Mac, and I'm unfamilier with it's copy and paste system!)

Best of luck!

 

[whytedragon]

They're in a mesh enclosure, no way to dig a moat..it's standing on a concrete slab. My sister recommended cornmeal as ants can't digest it, and says they won't cross pepper...never heard of that...anything is worth a shot now! I had no clue why my Button Quail were all limping and falling over, thought they were ill or something, until they all were dead and I saw all the ants covering them...horrible.

 

[Pineywoods Peepers]

Can you sprinkle Diatomaceous Earth around your aviary? I had some fire ants coming into my coop. I found out where they were coming in, put DE there, and have only seen a few here and there since.

Make sure you buy food grade, in case the birds eat it.

Rachel

 

[NoelTate]

I read that Windex would kill ants but not hurt birds, so that is what I use around my aviary. Whenever ants pop up, I spray them along the wire and wood, but I avoid my food and water dishes just in case. Before I had free-ranging chickens, I would sprinkle poison around the outside of the aviary, but now that I am down to only one pair, and they are loose in the back yard, poison is not an option. So far the Windex seems to keep them under control.

 

[denim deb]

Invite the ants to tea. Keep the birds away from the area where the ants are. Then, boil some water, and pour it over the ants. It will kill the ants, and you have no worries over poison. You may need to do it a few times over a period of time, but it will get rid of them. (I don't know if this would work for fire ants or not. I'm not sure how deep they tunnel-I don't have them around here. But, it's worked for me every time I've tried it.)

 

[whytedragon]

Thank you everyone, going to give each of these a try and see how it goes. So far we've done the cornmeal and the DE..so we'll see. It's gotten so bad the ants are all over my shoes when I go in there, so I wear long pants and double socks. My poor birdies.

No, they're not fire ants...thank goodness.

 

[math ace]

I use "QUICK GRITS" . Put it around the mound and stick a stick down the mound and pour a little down the hole. It will kill much of the hill off. You might have to retreat a week later to get everybody. It works like the cornmeal - - - they can't digest it.

TO keep ants out of dog food and cat food - - - We put the food in a bowl and then put the bowl in a shallow dish of water. The ants can not cross the water barrier to get to the food. NO FOOD - - - means ants move on to another area.

HAVE YOU BEEN GETTING A LOT OF RAIN LATELY? - - - Ants will move to high and dry ground when the surrounding areas are wet - - - -

Good luck!

 

[txcarl1258]

Whytedragon
We are neighbors I live in Pleasanton. Good to see someone from around here. I have had the same problem with Fire Ants, with all the recent rains it seems like they population has exploded and gotten bigger! My white leghorn lost all of her chicks to fire ants and now I have my BA with her new born chicks in a shed up off the ground. My mom told me grits work and also my aunt said use Sweet-N-Low or any artificial sweetener with aspertame. Also go to the nursery and see if they carry Orange Oil, I believe it is organic and ants will not cross it. I used it when I had rabbits. Hope this helps.

 

[whytedragon]

Well...the cornmeal did not work, not at all

I did however manage to hang the feeder to a better location that the ants have not been able to access....I clipped it to a toy hanging from the roof.
So that's a plus, but still ants on the bottom, but I think once the food disappears, they might lay off...we did however find the ant hill...and it's outside of the enclosure, but I wouldn't put poison down when I have free ranging chickens. Yikes!
I have yet to try the windex, need to pick some up, and i'll look for the Orange Oil as well...anything is worth a shot! For now though my birds are safe...as they don't frequent the bottom of the cage. I'm just so heartbroken that all of my quail got killed by ants, that has to be a painful way to die...poor things!
Oh, and yes...LOTS of rain lately thanks to the hurricane, but nice to get a break from the heat!

Hi txcarl, we're practically neighbors

If you ever want to swap anything, that'd be neat..we're going to be raising Coturnix Quail and Guineas...we've already got the first batch of Quail started. I'll probably start on raising chicks again next Spring.