ANTS

[spicewood chick]

Hi
I typically can take care of an ant pile around my coop with DE but with the rain and I now have misters in the coop the ants have moved into the run and they are a literal swarm and I dont know what to do. I have sprinkled DE in the coop where I see them collecting but now they are everywhere. How do I get rid of the ants that are everywhere without pesticide and are they a danger to my girls

 

[azygous]

Some ants can inflict painful bites and are a general nuisance. There are non-toxic products such a Sevin, permethrin, and spinosad (Elector PSP) that will kill ants and are safe to use around chickens.

 

[spicewood chick]

So would I spray it all over the ground where the ants are because that’s where my chickens are?

 

[azygous]

That would be the point. The products I mentioned will not harm your chickens.

 

[mill-j]

An ant won't cross a line of cinnamon. It might not work for you since it it needs to be reapplied after a rain.

 

[spicewood chick]

Since I dont have the products you mentioned and not sure where to get them I covered their entire run with cinnamon since it isnt raining right now hopping it will make them leave and it wont hurt the chickens. The ants have build mounds all around the run because of the water and i have covered them with DE again.

 

[spicewood chick]

Is the Sevin you mentioned seven dust? I’m guessing my local feed store would have these products

 

[azygous]

Yes, Sevin dust or liquid concentrate can be found wherever they have garden supplies, and it may also be found at feed stores. It's more of a garden product than poultry product, although it won't harm chickens. Permethrin comes in a poultry dust as well as liquid and usually can be found in feed stores and garden supply stores. Elector PSP can be found on Amazon, although it's much more expensive.

 

[mill-j]

You can't destroy an ant hill with plain water due to surface tension, but if you mix some soap in with the water and pour it down an ant hill it breaks the surface tension of the water drowning the ants in their hole. I've used this with great luck around and under my beehives.

 

[ToniTalley]

Do chickens like to eat ants?