Fire Ants!

AlittleSalt · November 11, 2016

I was out working in the yard and garden today. I took a break and walked around a bit. I started seeing fire ant beds all over the area. There was one about 30' away that you could see ants on it moving. I got closer and took a couple pictures. The ones with wings on them are queens. Each one of them wants to go start a new colony.

I thought I would share the pictures and provide a link on just about everything you would want to know about fire ants. That soccer ball I put beside the mound was completely covered in fire ants in the time it took to take the first picture. http://articles.extension.org/pages/...nd-development

Down_South · November 11, 2016

We had a ranch down in South Texas. The soil was really sandy, so we had no fire ants. The red and black ants loved it though, but they were/are never a problem. Up here in Austin is another story. For years fire ants were a huge problem. For the last 10 years I've seen not one in my yard.

Worth1 · November 11, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by Down_South

We had a ranch down in South Texas. The soil was really sandy, so we had no fire ants. The red and black ants loved it though, but they were/are never a problem. Up here in Austin is another story. For years fire ants were a huge problem. For the last 10 years I've seen not one in my yard.

They all came to my house.

Worth

Down_South · November 11, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by Worth1

They all came to my house.

Worth

Use boiling water infused with garlic and habanero juice.

Worth1 · November 11, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by Down_South

Use boiling water infused with garlic and habanero juice.

I had an old jug of vinegar I dumped on one mound just to see what they would do.
This mound has plagued one end of my raised bed for years.

AlittleSalt · November 11, 2016

I did an experiment yesterday of two mounds of fire ants. One mound, I poured gas on it. The other one I poured bleach on. The one I poured the gas on is dead. The bleach didn't phase the other mound.

MarianneW · November 11, 2016

I get another variety of fire ants. They even nest in palm trees and when it is stormy, the nests get dislodged and wind up in my pool. I've tried all sorts of stuff and the only thing that works is Amdro. After they take it down into the subterranean mounds and die, there's always some left over that some other mound finds the next year and also eats & dies.

kurt · November 12, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarianneW

I get another variety of fire ants. They even nest in palm trees and when it is stormy, the nests get dislodged and wind up in my pool. I've tried all sorts of stuff and the only thing that works is Amdro. After they take it down into the subterranean mounds and die, there's always some left over that some other mound finds the next year and also eats & dies.

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...ight=fire+ants

http://www.texascooppower.com/texas-.../life-arts/war

Or if you have some artistic notions.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/1...n_4434434.html

From the archives here on TVille.
Ditto on the Amdro as mentioned above.

MarianneW · November 12, 2016

Lol, no molten aluminum for my palm trees or pool. Those cures are for the invasive ones you guys have there. I have the native ones, they're different.

AlittleSalt · November 12, 2016

Kurt, our youngest son has an aluminum melting setup he made, and I have two bags of aluminum cans. It's sitting in our mechanics shop just waiting to be used.

I really like art

dmforcier · November 12, 2016

I've always used Amdro. It knocks the heck out of the nest which can go dormant for quite a while. But it rarely kills the nest. They always seems to come back eventually. I've heard that gasoline works good. though maybe something with lower volaility like kerosene would last longer and not stink up the air so much.

Also less likely to explode.

Worth1 · November 12, 2016

The vinegar didn't work they are as happy as a clam.

Reluctant to put poison in the raised bed.

Cole_Robbie · November 12, 2016

Taro is the ant bait I have always used for indoor ants. It is just borax and sugar, harmless to people.

And heck, the sugar is even good for your soil. It feeds beneficial bacteria. Dead ants also supply chitin.

AlittleSalt · November 15, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by Worth1

The vinegar didn't work they are as happy as a clam.

Reluctant to put poison in the raised bed.

Worth, I know of a non-poisonous thing that works too. You'll have to replace the soil exactly where you use it though. The same vegetable (Soybean) cooking oil we both use will kill out a colony of fire ants. Then just remove that soil.

I haven't tried unused vegetable oil, but I'm sure it works just as well.

b54red · November 15, 2016

Amdro is the only thing that really works and works every time as long as it isn't too old or the container hasn't been opened for too long especially if the humidity is high. I have been using it since it was introduced years ago and have found that if you use it every spring and summer and after especially heavy rains which force the ants to form new beds you need to use it less and less as time goes on. I have only seen a couple of small beds all year but when we first moved in here it was a constant battle until Amdro was available. Even with Amdro it took a few years to really get them under control and if you ever let up for just one season they will come back rapidly. We had to really get them under control because one of our sons was allergic to fire ants and of course he was the only one of our boys that got stung a lot.

Bill

November 11, 2016	#2
Down_South Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 93	We had a ranch down in South Texas. The soil was really sandy, so we had no fire ants. The red and black ants loved it though, but they were/are never a problem. Up here in Austin is another story. For years fire ants were a huge problem. For the last 10 years I've seen not one in my yard. __________________ ~Aaron

November 12, 2016	#11
dmforcier Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 3,825	I've always used Amdro. It knocks the heck out of the nest which can go dormant for quite a while. But it rarely kills the nest. They always seems to come back eventually. I've heard that gasoline works good. though maybe something with lower volaility like kerosene would last longer and not stink up the air so much. Also less likely to explode. __________________ Stupidity got us into this mess. Why can't it get us out? - Will Rogers

November 11, 2016	#6
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	I did an experiment yesterday of two mounds of fire ants. One mound, I poured gas on it. The other one I poured bleach on. The one I poured the gas on is dead. The bleach didn't phase the other mound.

November 11, 2016	#7
MarianneW Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2016 Location: Arizona Posts: 153	I get another variety of fire ants. They even nest in palm trees and when it is stormy, the nests get dislodged and wind up in my pool. I've tried all sorts of stuff and the only thing that works is Amdro. After they take it down into the subterranean mounds and die, there's always some left over that some other mound finds the next year and also eats & dies.

November 12, 2016	#12
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	The vinegar didn't work they are as happy as a clam. Reluctant to put poison in the raised bed.

November 12, 2016	#13
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	Taro is the ant bait I have always used for indoor ants. It is just borax and sugar, harmless to people. And heck, the sugar is even good for your soil. It feeds beneficial bacteria. Dead ants also supply chitin.

November 15, 2016	#15
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	Amdro is the only thing that really works and works every time as long as it isn't too old or the container hasn't been opened for too long especially if the humidity is high. I have been using it since it was introduced years ago and have found that if you use it every spring and summer and after especially heavy rains which force the ants to form new beds you need to use it less and less as time goes on. I have only seen a couple of small beds all year but when we first moved in here it was a constant battle until Amdro was available. Even with Amdro it took a few years to really get them under control and if you ever let up for just one season they will come back rapidly. We had to really get them under control because one of our sons was allergic to fire ants and of course he was the only one of our boys that got stung a lot. Bill