Calling all southerners.....FIRE ANTS

[jjdward]

I'm not sure what kind of ants I have. I live in Gerogia and I have always called them "piss ants". Now I know that is not the real name but that is all I have ever heard them called. Them are about 1/4 inch long and are a dark red almost black. When I think of fire ants, I think of the bright red ones we have, that are a litte bigger that those other ants. What ever I have all in my yard they are hard to get rid of and the hurt like crazy when they bite. I will try to google ants and see if I can find a picture of them. I would like to know what they are really called.

 

[willkatdawson]

I live in Ga and have tried everything to kill them. What I do now is pour about a thimble full of gas in the middle of the mound. I will kill grass right around the mound but it kills all of the ants. I think the gas fumes travel in the core of the mound. I really doesn't take much.

 

[Tweeza]

Quote:
A touch of bleach for a few seconds helps scorpion stings and bee stings. It might work on fire ant bites.

 

[Chicks_N_Horses]

We have so many fire ants that we have just accepted it....Try and kill them and they just come back later or move to another spot. There are far too many to kill. My guinea or chickens won't touch them. Ant bites don't really hurt that bad IMO but we just may be really used to it by now. I hate them though. We use Aloe plant on them.

 

[mom'sfolly]

Fire ants are horrible. They sting in concert, produce zit-like pustules, and hurt like hell. I use orange oil, or Amdro. Amdro works better, but around the chickies I cover the Amdro with a board or bucket. I don't really want to have it end up in my eggs.

I find that baking soda and water on the bites help ;if you do it immediately. Meat tenderizer also works. It dissolves the protein in the ant poison.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_imported_fire_ant

 

[Chicksdigit]

Quote:
That is exactly what to do get the poison out and treat with an antiseptic we use alchohol and then let them dry up they heal a lot quicker.

 

[NC Chicken Gal]

So, if the ants are around my chickens, will they bite them too?

 

[Judy]

Quote:
I never get these any more because I put ammonia on the bite when it happens. Adolph's meat tenderizer also works; both dissolve protein. Windex would work too if it has any ammonia in it. I get bet at least twice a week and have not had a "bump" or pustule in years.

I use Amdro, too. The chickens ignore both the ant hills and the Amdro. I haven't rid the property of ant hills but only have to treat a few every week or two; there used to be dozens.

 

[undermywings]

I dumbly listened to those who said guineas would eat them. Wrong. They stung my guinea's feet and I learned that they have a bitter acrid taste to the chickens and guineas.

 

[cockadoodle]

Best ant killer I have ever used is called Amdro Ant Block. It's comes in a1lb, 8oz jug. The stuff looks like grits, or maybe corn meal... My dad turned me onto this stuff when I was out at his land in new mexico last month. Put one teaspoon of the stuff right on their ant hole. They will almost immediately start carrying it down into the nest. You won't see them die immediately, the reason it works so well is it kills them slow, gives the worker ants time to get the food down to the queen. Once it hits their stock pile of food, colony will be wiped out. Took me about a week to see a colony dissapear that has been on my back concrete porch for 5 years. Took just 1 teaspoon. Kills 15 different types of ants (including fire ants). Got mine at home depot. It isn't cheap, but it works very well. Nasty stuff, but says right on the bottle that it is designed to be used in ag settings, mentions that it's ok to use around coops and runs, just not where you chickens can get to them. I also use the boiling water method when I just want to temporairly dispatch the ones on and near the surface.

Mark