Getting Rid Of Black Ants

[MoChkRch]

Hi....Quick question...How do you get rid of black ants in the chicken yard/run? I've tried cinnamon, and it helps but.....I still have ants Any suggestions/help? Thanks in advance...btw I'm in California(really HOT) and the ants are everywhere.

 

[Hyper_Chicken05]

Ant poison? Maybe in a container that the chickens can't reach

 

[BlueBaby]

Prozap Garden and Poultry Dust.

Edit: Try to follow the ant trail back to where the hill, mound or hole they use is at. Sprinkle that Prozap there. It will kill a lot of them. You will have to watch to see when more come out, especially after a rain. They will first repair the mound, and then when that's done they will be ready to gather the feed again. If you see any with wing's, those are the breeders.

 

[True Patriot]

Permethrin dust (sevin) is ok to use on/around chickens. It will take repeat applications on mounds and trails. It will also need to be reapplied weekly or after rain/watering. If you can hang feeders it will reduce how many get into the food. Also store extra feed in airtight containers, food grade buckets work well for me. I have a lot of fire ants here in GA. None have gotten into the buckets. I have a raised coop and spray permethrin around the legs weekly. So far it's been ok. Occasionally I see an ant or two, but most are staying out.

 

[aart]

Hi....Quick question...How do you get rid of black ants in the chicken yard/run? I've tried cinnamon, and it helps but.....I still have ants Any suggestions/help? Thanks in advance...btw I'm in California(really HOT) and the ants are everywhere.

What kind of 'black ants'?
Are they really some kind of threat?

 

[Radian]

Permethrin is good, it's also FDA approved for human skin contact. I wouldn't bathe in it but it's well studied and regulated.

 

[aart]

Permethrin is good, it's also FDA approved for human skin contact. I wouldn't bathe in it but it's well studied and regulated.

Really?! Then why all the warnings about skin contact on the labels of the permethrin products I use? Makes me circumspect about liberal usage.

Not sure it would even kill ants, it sure can mess up many insects, including pollinators and especially aquatics.

 

[Northern.Ontario]

Wont the chickens just eat the ants?

 

[Biddybot]

Like the poster above, I too am wondering why the chickens don't just eat the ants. I hardly ever see ants in my yard. If there's a chicken around, a visible ant becomes an eaten ant. Right now, my layer hens are laboriously digging huge holes in my gravel terrace to get at the cocooned pupae (ant 'eggs') the poor little Lasius ant colonies that nest under the gravel are trying to accumulate. These ants are tiny, only a few millimeters long, but they'll get eaten too right along with their pupae. Are these Argentine ants you have? It's best to find out what you have first because the different species require different methods of control.

 

[jolly wattles]

Really?! Then why all the warnings about skin contact on the labels of the permethrin products I use? Makes me circumspect about liberal usage.
Because it causes cancer in California.
Not sure it would even kill ants, it sure can mess up many insects, including pollinators and especially aquatics.