My hens uncovered a large black ant home, they are everywhere!!! HELP!

[RedneckGurl]

You could try treating the nest and surrounding area with FOOD GRADE diatomaceous earth. It is 100% safe for your chickens but is deadly to most insects. You can also use it to dust your chickens for mites - it is that safe. I'd try that before I used anything that might poison or sicken your chickens.

 

[CrazyPetunias]

You can also try boiling water to get rid of them. Just pour a full pot of boiling water over the entrance to their home.

 

[mrstomcat]

I knew vinegar was good for lots of things but never gave a thought about putting them on ants. You can bet my next purchase will be several gallons of vinegar. Plus it's lots cheaper than ant piosion which is a rip off. My ants think that stuff is dessert.

 

[chickgrl]

The vinegar did not work the first time, so..... I'm trying again. Now fire ants have shown up so I'm very frustrated ~

 

[StupidBird]

Cinnamon applied to the red ant mounds in my yard makes them move the nest over about ten feet by the next day. Doesn't kill them, but I can get them to move out of the most conflicting areas. Don't know if it'll work on carpenter ants.

 

[chickgrl]

Thanks! I will try that on the fire ants that have showed up.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

.... Gig out the hill and pour it [vinegar] all over. It kills them and its smell keeps the one who were not home from coming back....

Come on down, I'll furnish you with a pick, a shovel and the vinegar if you'll allow me to video you 'gigging' out my fire ant hills.

 

[coopscritters]

I use Borax mixed with icing sugar. Sprinkle it right on the nest. It won't hurt the chickens but does kill the ants.
The vinegar or boiling water work best if you can drive a pipe down into the nest and pour it down. That way it gets into the tunnels before it cools or is sopped up by the earth. Grated orange peels will keep ants away.
I was just on my way out to treat an any hill that my chickens have not discovered when I saw this thread