Fire ants count as pests to me.

[Jessica Lynn]

I'm so glad it's working!

Update on our mounds: I checked them again and no sign of the ants! They are calling for rain today so if we get any that will tell me where to plan the next attack!

 

[Angelicisi]

Lol yes! I like when they're visible! Hate getting attacked on a norm piece of flat lawn :l

I'm so glad it's working! 

Update on our mounds: I checked them again and no sign of the ants! They are calling for rain today so if we get any that will tell me where to plan the next attack!

 

[TeaChick]

Quoting LoneOak

Because we don't like to fill our yards where our animals and children play with chemicals!
We also have well water. So I'm not too keen on dumping a bunch of toxins on the ground where they might end up leaching into the groundwater!

If someone else chooses to fill their yard with chemicals then that's their decision. We choose not to!

THIS!
Well said, Jessica Lynn. Thank you.

 

[TeaChick]

I like this thread. I like trying things and recording the processes. I didn't mean to post so much lol but get excited about getting rid of these things.

You're very welcome to test and post your results; we're all VERY interested!!! And thank you very much for doing it!

I don't have time. My chickens and dogs are somehow (instinctively, I guess) able to avoid the mounds; it's the humans that we have to poison for. As soon as my LO is big enough that several fire ant bites doesn't swell up ankles like balloons, I want to stop using the broadcast poison and start using the natural stuff you're trying out now.

Also, for what it's worth to those who aren't severely allergic, soaking in baking soda water or applying baking soda paste to bites helps tremendously. In my experience, that has to be done again about 24 hours after the original application, but two applications of baking soda extinguishing the bite completely with no further evidence of having been bitten??? I'll take that over poisoning my ground water ANY day!!!

 

[TeaChick]

My husband is looking for that recipe on his dresser. :-\ I'll get it to you all ASAP!!!

 

[Jessica Lynn]

More rain today, I can't wait to go out and attack the newest mounds!

 

[Teery]

We have fire ant nests in our yard and we free range our chickens. I've tried to convince them that they are BACK yard chickens, but they insist that, not only are they FRONT yard chickens, sometimes they are front STEP chickens. :\
Anyway...

We have an excellent method for controlling the fire ants; it is a spot treatment recipe that a neighbor gave us. I've lived with fire ants for over 30 years and I've never seen anything work better; HOWEVER, the recipe includes corn meal and... You guessed it... we can't keep the chickens out of it. I've tried laundry baskets, but I couldn't think of anything else that would allow the rain to wash away the poisoned corn meal after the mound was dead.
We have gone back to using just the powder poison; the chickens stay out of that. The problem is that without the rest of the recipe, the ants just move around.

ANY ideas would be welcomed.
Thanks In Advance!
EDIT TO ADD: Ive gotten several repies suggesting Amdro. We have been using Ortho and that just causes them to move around; consequently, we end up just chasing them around the yard. Can anyone tell me how the Amdro granules is different from the Ortho pwder?

I use Amdro and am impressed on how well it works. Give it a try... I don't think you can buy it here in California anymore (this state would outlaw breathing if they could... they did a study on outlawing breathing but decided it would kill tax revenue...can't have that..)

 

[TeaChick]

I use Amdro and am impressed on how well it works. Give it a try... I don't think you can buy it here in California anymore (this state would outlaw breathing if they could... they did a study on outlawing breathing but decided it would kill tax revenue...can't have that..)

lol about outlawing breathing.
We use Over & Out broadcast treatment. We hate to do it, but we can't take a live-and-let-live attitude toward them right now (our youngest is preschool-aged). Once all the kids are big enough to avoid the mounds (for the most part anyway), then we won't feel the need to try to eradicate them from the yard altogether.
Thank you, BTW, I spoke to my dh about Amdro. He said that we've used it before and it works as well as the Ortho, I think he said the Ortho happens to cost less here, IDK.