Safe Ant Killer

[JeStoneIV]

I'd like to treat my yard for fire ants (live in southwest Florida). Can anybody recommend a chicken friendly ant killer? I let the chickens out of their run to run around my yard and eat fresh green grass and bugs and stuff. Plus my son likes to run around with them. But I need to get rid of the ants.

 

[BankerJohn]

I use diatomaceous earth for the ants. Sprinkle light dusting over the mound while active. It takes about 2-3 days and they are gone.

 

[elmo]

Try this:

http://www.dirtdoctor.com/organic/garden/view_question/id/1341/

 

[andbab]

I don't know if it would work for fire ants but I use mint to get rid of ants. It doesn't kill them but they move away. They can't stand the smell of it, I don't know why but it worked for me. Mint plants or mint extract either worked.

 

[HaulnFetch]

This was just in the Chicken Keeping Secrets newsletter I subscribe to:

"How is the best way to kill fire ants around chickens and
chicks?" ~ Judy Goodwin


Hi Judy,

Thanks for the question.

You might recall that we own a pest control company so this
question is right up my husband's alley.

Although there are numerous all natural home remedies touted
across the internet and in books, understand that a large portion
of our income each summer comes from people who have tried all
these home remedies and still have ants.

In other words, I hope you were not looking for a solution that
included sprinkling baking powder inside the ant hill.

My husband's recommendation is Amdro Ant Block.

Make sure to get the Ant Block and not the Fire Ant bait (don't
ask, just trust him on this, the Ant Block is more effective than
the Fire Ant bait).

It is a non-restricted use material available at most hardware
stores.

It is the most effective thing he's seen for fire ants in 20
years in the business.

To be effective it must be used in a particular way; the bait is
sprinkled around the outside of the ant hill, making sure to not
disturb the ants. The ants then pick it up and take it down into
the colony. You cannot put it directly down the ant hill.

This poses a problem if your chickens are free ranging though as
you don't want them to eat the bait.

If the hill(s) are outside an area where you can confine your
flock for 24 hours, you're all set.

Just put out the bait, confine the chickens and within 24 hours
the ants should have removed all the bait.

More often than not, chickens will eat ants, even fire ants.
Based upon some research I did, it seems that most flocks love
them.

However, there was the occasional flock that avoided them. I'm
starting to wonder if avoiding them is a cultural thing (the
culture of the individual flock I mean,) similar to laying eggs
outside a nest box.

 

[katharinad]

Mint and laurel leaves. Their oils is what ants hate. Mint grows like weed and fast. You can grow it with your chicks or grow it separately and cut up the leaves and spread onto the soil.
Katharina

 

[dawg53]

I've read here that some BYC'ers out in Texas use DE with success. I havnt tried it as it's been chilly here for fire ant mounds yet.

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

have you tried guineas? they are good at keeping ticks away, they might be good at keeping ants away as well.

 

[redhen]

DE didnt do a thing for my ants...

nothing...

 

[FLminifarm]

DE won't kill the queen and I have carpenter ants near the coop. Most of my chickens don't eat them. I worry about them hurting my chicks. Are pyrethrin powders or liquid safe to use? I have some "garden tech worry free dust" made with pyrethrins. I may have to resort to using the amdro as suggested above also. My chickens free range some so I will just have to keep them inside for a day I guess. We have horrible fire ants everywhere too and I my family and pets are of constantly getting bit! I hate chemicals but I have tried grits and baking soda and vinegar and boiling water and nothing has helped much at all...