Fire Ants - Using Molasses To Drive Out Colonies

[dawg53]

Just tellin’ ya what I have done and observed. Total cost to me was under twenty bucks. No taxpayer funding involved.

It's much cheaper to take your shovel and scoop up a fire ant mound and go dump it on another fire ant mound. Then stand back and watch the ants attack and kill each other.

 

[Knellie]

It's much cheaper to take your shovel and scoop up a fire ant mound and go dump it on another fire ant mound. Then stand back and watch the ants attack and kill each other.

Yep, I do that but I protect myself by covering shovel handle (well, not really covering the whole handle — just an inch or two around the lower part of handle) with molasses and also spread it on perimeter of wheelbarrow. They don’t cross it.

As to molasses attracting ants by droves and maybe hurting the chicks, I had the thought that farmers and ranchers use sweet feed (sweetened with molasses) all the time without an army of ants invading. Maybe because animals love it and gobble it up before the ants can invade? The guy where I buy feed recommended mixing sweet feed in with poultry feed and I have done that. No ants.

But every situation is different; maybe the thing to do is try putting some out where the birds don’t forage and see what happens.

 

[WaxiChickens]

Very interesting.

I know it’s supposed to be feed molasses not good grade. Feed molasses are awful.

Sometimes science doesn’t support old wife’s tale’s and farmer’s tricks but they still seem to work.

If it was a well known proven soliton the price of molasses in the south would skyrocket.

If it is harmless I see it as an experiment that doesn’t cost too much if it doesn’t work. We are having a really bad year for fire ants.

 

[theoldchick]

Let us know how it works for you. I do know equine sweet feed will attract all kinds of insects if not properly stored.

 

[Al Gerhart]

If this works it is genius. Fire ants are tough to eradicate.

 

[Tim_S]

I managed a large vineyard in Texas. When I took over, we had massive problems with ants. The owner was using lots of chemicals to kill them with little impact. I sprayed twice with a 1:50 ratio, and the ants were gone. I made two applications one week apart to start. After that, I applied two more applications a month apart.

I was told by an agronomist that the sugars bloat the ant, and because they have an exoskeleton, this holds in their bloated bodies, and they die.

You can purchase molasses inexpensively in bulk at feed mills by the gallon.

Also, Heterohabditis bacteriophora (beneficial nematode) are adapted to all climates and are most effective against ants and many more pests. There are several companies that sell these.

 

[TXChookstead]

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions! We just built a hoop coop, and have fire ants inside of it! I get stung multiple times a day and am concerned about the birds. Diatomaceous earth has done no good. Will be trying the orange oil and molasses.

 

[raingarden]

Molassas often contains sulphur as a preservative and sulphur will control ants. The sugar bloat thing sounds pretty good too though.

 

[vawolfmom]

I have used comet cleanser. Use a broom handle to "stomp" around the nest until ther are swarming around and then sprinkle them with comet. They go back in and clean each other off and die.