I have have my girls for a little over a year now, they have a small coop and a large run. Recently I have noticed that there are loads of small black ants in the coop as well as flies, wasps, and others in fewer numbers. The ants almost seem to be living in the walls of the coop and I have no idea how to get rid of them! I’ve tried diatomaceous earth and it doesn’t seem to faze them. Does anybody know how to stop these insects?
INSECTS ARE EVERYWHERE HELP!
The insecticide permethrin is not harmful to livestock if used in proper concentration, and it's very damaging to insects. I recommend getting a bottle of concentrate and a sprayer (the sort you would use in a garden or on fruit trees) and just spraying down the entire coop.
And then store your feed so that they have limited access to it. If I'm not mistaken, the ants are there after your chicken feed. I feed twice a day; some people use hanging feeders; you could put your feeder in a large pan of water so that the chickens can step over it, but the ants can't reach it. Whatever works for you.
And then store your feed so that they have limited access to it. If I'm not mistaken, the ants are there after your chicken feed. I feed twice a day; some people use hanging feeders; you could put your feeder in a large pan of water so that the chickens can step over it, but the ants can't reach it. Whatever works for you.
Your chickens aren't eagerly catching and eating the ants? Odd... We just had a huge mating flight of common black carpenter ants here the other day. Big fat landed ant queens running everywhere... The chickens thought it was like manna raining down from heaven.
Anyway, if YOUR ants are actually living within the walls of the coop, they are likely one of the 'household' species...the vast majority prefer more natural surroundings for their nests. Check pest control sites to find information about how to identify what sort of ants you have and what to do next. Knowing exactly which species you're dealing with will help immensely in how to deal with them...some like sweets whereas others like fats/meats, some are single colonies with single queens, others are part of a multi-colony society with many queens and will simply move elsewhere if disturbed, etc etc. Since you mention that you see lots of flies and wasps too, is it possible that you're actually seeing a bit of a temporary ecosystem in action? That maybe the flies are laying eggs in the chicken poop or even some spilled, spoiled feed in the run and the resultant maggots are what's attracting the ants and wasps? Just an idea... If the ants are hauling away the maggots while they're still tiny, you wouldn't even notice them. Or the ants just like your chicken feed, who knows... Like I wrote, you need to know what sort of ants they are...they're very much a know-your-enemy sort of insect when it comes to trying to control them... (Can you tell I kind of like ants?
)
Anyway, if YOUR ants are actually living within the walls of the coop, they are likely one of the 'household' species...the vast majority prefer more natural surroundings for their nests. Check pest control sites to find information about how to identify what sort of ants you have and what to do next. Knowing exactly which species you're dealing with will help immensely in how to deal with them...some like sweets whereas others like fats/meats, some are single colonies with single queens, others are part of a multi-colony society with many queens and will simply move elsewhere if disturbed, etc etc. Since you mention that you see lots of flies and wasps too, is it possible that you're actually seeing a bit of a temporary ecosystem in action? That maybe the flies are laying eggs in the chicken poop or even some spilled, spoiled feed in the run and the resultant maggots are what's attracting the ants and wasps? Just an idea... If the ants are hauling away the maggots while they're still tiny, you wouldn't even notice them. Or the ants just like your chicken feed, who knows... Like I wrote, you need to know what sort of ants they are...they're very much a know-your-enemy sort of insect when it comes to trying to control them... (Can you tell I kind of like ants?
)
Seems like we're all dealing with BUGS 
Don't mind them so much as long as they don't BITE and bother my animals.
Don't mind them so much as long as they don't BITE and bother my animals.
If you have a TSC they carry permethrin powder, premixed spray bottles and the concentrate. I use the dust on the birds and the spray in the coops being sure I spray inside the coop thoroughly every crack and crevice. I use the concentrate mixed with water in a one gallon sprayer with a wand to get the hard to reach areas. I had mites but no more and was very surprised and happy that I also nearly eliminated the fly population in the coops.
BlueMtnSquirrel
In the Brooder
This partially answers my 2020 ant season question about how carpenter ants might affect chickens. I live in a forested area and every year carpenter ants come out; there is a lot of wood around so I wouldn't expect to "get rid of them" somehow. However, I also live in a wood house and need to keep ants from eating it. In the past I've set out boric-acid-type or Combat brand poison bait inside or outside to keep from having an ant nest in my house. If chickens eat the ants taking the bait to the nest, will they be harmed by the bait? Seems likely with the more poisonous bait, but maybe other types are bad for them as well. Do chickens eat the worker ants or just the flying/mating form?
Cwestlake
Songster
I use DE seems to work great for the ants I have seen I also use 50/50 ratio of vinegar and water hope that helps! 
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