Fire Ants

[Boo-Boo's Mama]

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Me and thee! Would LOVE to see that happen!

 

[Preservation Acres]

I grew up near New Orleans where fire ants rule. It's a nightmare.

Hitting them with boiling water works, but it only gets about 80% of the mound. They will rebuild, but when they do, it will be with the remaining ants and the colony will be much smaller. THAT'S WHEN YOU HIT THEM AGAIN!!!!! Ha!!!!!!

Since the colony is smaller, it doesn't go nearly as deep into the ground. The second hit on them will wipe them out. For really huge mounds, it may take three hits on them, but really, it's the best way to get them.

 

[Orpstralope]

Actually to rid an area of fireants completely you would have to spray with a very powerfully modified insecticide. It's designed to only rid certain species of ants, including fireants. I'd have to look up the name, but I know such a thing exists because I found an ancient container in a barn on our farm and asked about it...very scary stuff honestly. It may not even kill them all, just make them move off the field area...

As for chickens - I think most chickens should be smart enough to move away from a nest, or they'd just have a buffet. For small chicks I'd be wary - I've found small wild animal remains on top of nest before. That's in eastern NC where they get huge though! Not too sure though...never seemed to be a problem with my flock.

 

[Boo-Boo's Mama]

We are trying to do our garden as organic as possible so very leary of many of the chemicals on the market.

Will have to watch my chicks closely while they are out before we get their run/coop ready.

Thanks for the responses.

Peggy

 

[CoyoteMagic]

Couple of different methods.

Gas---Extremely dangerous!! Pour and light. Don't do it near the house!!!

DE--Do this at night after all the ants have come home. Brush away the top of the hill so all you see is hole underneath. Pour a cup of DE mixed in a gallon of water. You can use and auger to open it a little more to get down in there good.

Club Soda--Same as above.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

Foks there have been several very good links to fire ant information in this thread. They'll give you the low down on what works and does not. Most of the folk remedies that get passed around simply do not work with fire ants. Some such as DE and boiling water have limited effectiveness but can be made to work if you want to go at them with it repeatedly. Others such as gasoline can work very well but for the fact that you are polluting your groundwater, leaving a dead spot in your yard that will last months to years, and open yourself up to possible grief from your local environmental protection agencies.

Fire ants are the one thing I resort to synthetic pesticides for because nothing else works. Even the pesticides only work for a few months, but usually I can get by with a once yearly treatment around the outside of my henyard and around the back door of my house.

.....Alan.

 

[Koolduck]

AUGH...you all have made me shiver at the thought of those blighters again. Lived in Houston for 10yrs and HATED those things...Loved the Amdro commercials ..."Fire Ants are not cute and loveable...there are no fireant plush toys...get Amdro and get rid of fireants!" Should have gotton stock in the stuff! Moved to KY and you should have seen the Hubby and me move when we stepped on a MOLE mound in our plush green bluegrass lawn! Thought it was ants! After we jumped 30ft sideways we realized what had happened and laughed our butts off

We have harsh winter time temps that kill the suckers so they havent gotton established here. When it is 4* with the wind blowing like H - - - out of the North, I have to remind myself that we have no fireants. I would pretreat the area that you are planning to move the tractor to. Call Texas A&M or your AG/extension office to find out what the half-life of your product is. Good Luck to all of you that have to deal with that nusance!

 

[Intheswamp]

Ya'll might want to google "orange oil fire ants". This should bring up some links to using orange oil "cleaning solution" to drench fire ant mounds with. I haven't tried this myself but it has been "under the radar" for several years. It may have changed now but "back when", being as the orange oil solution has not been approved by the EPA (or whatever) as a pesticide, it couldn't be sold as such thus it was simply advertised as a "cleaner" and it's use for killing fire ants was basically"understood". Environmentally friendly, too.

Here's one article... Orange oil takes the bite out of fire ants

Best wishes,
Ed

 

[whattheheck]

WOW I didn't realize ants were such a big issue. Growing up in NOLA I just figured they belonged

We must have 20 or 30 mounds in our yard at any given time and I seem to get bitten/stung daily. Guess I must have aquired some immunity as they sting but that's about all for me other than a little pustule sometimes. Once kneeled in a pile and was stung well over 100 times on my legs. Don't worry about stripping naked in public at times like that.

For me gas and fire works best. The poisons never seemed to have a lasting effect when I tried it. I've also tried inserting a shovel full of one mound into another. They supposedly will fight and kill each other off. I've had varied success with that. I think they just move locations.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

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Well....

.....Alan {laughing}