fire ants

[akcskye]

I don't know if this will work with fire ants or not...but the common ants can be baited with corn meal. They love the sweetness of it, but can't digest it...so those who consume it, die.

Might be worth a shot on these buggers.

 

[picklespickles]

my sympathy. i grew up with fire ants and now there are none around here where i live now. even though there are big gigantic flesh eating ants that will take a bite out of your toe so big you could roast it on a spit, they are NOT fire ants. yay. those tiny evil look like they can do nothing at all super aggressive evil little things. all i can think is do you have a gun with really tiny bullets. good luck.

 

[mom'sfolly]

I use amdro in the front where the chickies can't get it and orange oil in the back. The orange oil isn't as effective as the amdro, but it does work. I'm hoping we get enough cold weather this year to take care of some of them. I've done the boiling water thing. You need alot of water, and it may not kill the queen. HATE Fire ants!!!!!!!

 

[seminolewind]

Hmmm. I tried grits with regular (?) ants, and it worked even when Home Defense didn't. I have had no luck with bug spray, home defense, or sevin. They are tough. I will write all these suggestions down and see what works.
It's amazing how quick they stick to your shoe and get up your leg.
I put that fire ant stuff on the mound yesterday, and they just moved a foot away!
I'm (not) glad that so many of you have advice on this, thanks

 

[Godsgrl]

Grits are supposed to work too. Sprinkle liberally on the mound. Ants eat them then blow up. Good luck, fire ants are awful.

 

[halo]

Youre all wasting your time if you don't kill the queen, which can be very deep in the ground. Disturbing the mound will only cause them to move it. Amdro works because the ants think its yummy good, grab it, and take it down to the queen to eat. Once she eats it and dies, the mound dies. I get some sort of sick pleasure in sprinkling some amdro around a mound and seeing the worker ants grab it and take it down into the mound like some special prize they found. Yep, its a special prize all right....

 

[mom'sfolly]

I won't use Amdro around the chickies. The bait would just look too yummy. Because my girls free range in my back yard, I try to go the chemical free route. I have used Amdro in the back, with a weighted bucket over the mound, but even that makes me a little nervous.

 

[seminolewind]

well I tried one suggestion today. I put the coffee grinds under the piece of wood that they're under, and a few hours later they were gone! I'm sure they are just moving, but at this point, I don't need them right in front of my coop where I sit with the chicks. I've been bitten enough.
In the meantime, I will have fun torturing the piss out of them

 

[seminolewind]

I tried coffee grinds, they moved over. Now I poured vinegar on them, I have to wait and see what happens. The problem is that they are right at the coop door, so it gives me no where to stand and watch chicken television. I will keep going down the list. Hate those buggers!

 

[seminolewind]

Anyone try borax/boric acid?