Fireants! ... or is it Fire Ants?? Either way...

[silkiechick05]

They are all over our coop!

I am afraid they will hurt my babies


but I am equally afraid of using poison



What to do??

 

[GAChknGirl]

We used ant spray then sprayed it down with water really good. we also put stall dry down in the coop it keeps them away! I HATE FIRE ANTS!!

 

[emrys]

Pouring boiling water on the nest tends to be very disruptive to the ants and harmless to other animals that may have access to the area.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Hot soapy water will do a number on them and their nest, but if you are finding them in the coop it may be hard to find the nest. We used to use Amdro ant bait when we lived in Texas. I'd spread it around their nest or at the base of the chicken coop and cover it with a heavy board or cinder block. The ants could get to it, but the animals couldn't.

 

[lavacaw]

Ants are insects, DE kills insects,,,ALL kinds of insects, I had them in with my baby chicks and put a generous handfull in the brooder. It took a few days but they were gone. I brood chickens on the ground with wood shavings over dirt so I get ants occasionally. This is the first time to try DE but it worked.

 

[Royd]

Quote:
I've got them, too.... They just love unfinished compost piles.

Several years back, some previous neighbors, had a few chickens, and decided to poison some fireant beds... Within a day, the chickens were deader than a hammer.

I've decided that if the ants get too bad, I will simply have to pen the chickens, for a week or so, until the ants have gotten rid of the bait.

 

[Judy]

I have found this is the one problem that DE takes care of quickly and effectively. I stopped fire ants in my coop entirely with it.

 

[Royd]

Quote:
I'll have to give it a try. Would you sprinkle it around or on the random mound?

 

[gsim]

DE will do it for sure and is harmless to chooks. I use the stuff they sell for swimming pool filters for my girls dust bath place, both inside and outside. Supposed to be good for keeping them free of lice, mites, and chiggers. I would remove litter and spread DE over floor, then put fresh litter in. Another thing that works great is orange peel oil. Cheapest place to get it is at citrus depot in Florida. They ship. It needs to be mixed with liquid soap and water to emulsify as it is an oil. Even more potent and equally harmless it to mix it with Safer soap which can also be bought online or at garden stores. It is a liquid that is deadly to bugs. I use it in my garden all the time with the orange peel oil for harlequin bugs, caterpillars, etc. Non toxic. DE is recommended for all livestock, but recommended to be food grade I think if to be mixed with food.

 

[Miltonchix]

FIRST STRIKE!!
Safe to use around your chickens and WORKS!