Fire Ants

[blmack]

How do I control fire ants without harming my chickens? My flock free ranges on my property and so do the ants!

 

[chfite]

Depending upon the area they share, it may not be a problem. We have fire ants in the front yard, outside of the fenced area used by the chickens. The ants don't come inside, from what I can tell.

To control fire ants, that is to keep them somewhere that is not a problem for me, I physically damage the mound several days in a row. Generally, they move elsewhere.

Our truce agreement is they can build in the flower bed, but not in the grass.

In the past, I have had success with a dose of Malathion in a bucket of water carefully poured into the center of the mound. This treatment usually kills the colony, but they are persistent and another mound will eventually develop in another location. I don't know if this means that not all the ants died, so the colony recovered, or if another colony moved in.

Chris

 

[HiyokoInNippon]

Would the chickens eat them or would they hurt them?

 

[enola]

My chickens will NOT eat them. . . .

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Chickens and fire ants go hand in hand. Newly bred queen fire ants needs bare earth to start her new colony. Chickens and their scratching produces plenty of bare earth.