Diatomaceous Earth is supposed to do the trick, tho it isn't as fast as Orthene. It (DE) needs to be applied on days with low humidity. You can buy DE at places like Lowes, a garden center, or Tractor Supply.
Other than that, late in the evening, one measuring cup of gasoline poured into the mound opening right before dark or right after dark when most of the ants are in the mound and not out foraging. It will kill any grass that is growing if you allow it to go outside the mound itself. If you can, place a 5 gal pucket over the mound after you put the gas on it--it's the fumes that does the killing and the bucket will contain the fumes to the mound area itself.
I prefer Orthene. It smells to high heaven, with a necrotic (rotten meat) type odor, but it works.
[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 04-23-2014).]
RIFA are invasive and should be killed off. Harvester ants are a native beneficial species. Both species can be killed off by pouring boiling water down the nest. I do not suggest the use of chemicals unless necessary. Pesticides are blamed for the decline of the horny toad, which eats harvester ants.
Pretty easy to distinguish fire ants from all others. They are about the only ant that cannot crawl across any living flesh and not sting it. It's just what they do. Harvester ants are almost always larger than fire ants and build a different kind of mound when on open ground than the fire ants do.
The active ingredient in Orthene is acephate. You can get it in a generic form and save about $1/can.
[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 04-23-2014).]
My sister has them on her ranch in Dallas. Shes been trying to get rid of them for 10 years with no luck from anyone. They even get into her house outside power box and short it out.
1. 1/4 cup liquid hand soap to 1 gallon of water. pour solution on the mound. Repeat about 1 hour later to be sure it penetrates the inner queen's chamber.
2. 1/2 cup honey 3/8 cup bakers yeast 3/8 cup sugar Mix in a bowl and put in their pathway. The ants will flock to the sweet taste. The yeast kills them.
Common problem-they also love to inhabit the pressure control switch on water wells. (looks and works like an air compressor switch) Causes an arc, and the contacts then pit or weld together. They are a pita. The fix for that, is to put one of these little jewels inside the cover:
Livestock ear tag that contains time release insecticide. I keep one in each of my outside electric boxes. A/C condensor, water well pressure switch, Septic system controller, shop disconnect box, outside lighting switch box. They last about 8 months each in a closed environment, but it beats having to go clean out the fried ants and changing the controller.
[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 04-23-2014).]
1. 1/4 cup liquid hand soap to 1 gallon of water. pour solution on the mound. Repeat about 1 hour later to be sure it penetrates the inner queen's chamber.
2. 1/2 cup honey 3/8 cup bakers yeast 3/8 cup sugar Mix in a bowl and put in their pathway. The ants will flock to the sweet taste. The yeast kills them.
Is that the same talk-to-your-plants--infomercial garden weasel Jerry Baker that has been called a gardening quack and got rich doing it? (BTW--fire ants don't go after sugar or sweet smells)
[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 04-23-2014).]
Diatomaceous Earth is supposed to do the trick, tho it isn't as fast as Orthene. It (DE) needs to be applied on days with low humidity. You can buy DE at places like Lowes, a garden center, or Tractor Supply. <snip>
This is some crazy stuff. It has edges like razors on a microscopic level. It scratches the waxy coating on the exoskeleton and the exoskeleton itself, and then acts like a desiccant and dehydrates them. I put some in a trash bag once with several fleas and a deer tick. It took 2 days, but it killed everything in the bag deader'n hell. I have a couple of pounds on hand all the time. Need to see if it'll work on chiggers this year.
It's also completely organic. My mom takes a tablespoonful every day for health benefits, it kills off intestinal parasites among other things.
Other than that, late in the evening, one measuring cup of gasoline poured into the mound opening right before dark or right after dark when most of the ants are in the mound and not out foraging. It will kill any grass that is growing if you allow it to go outside the mound itself. If you can, place a 5 gal pucket over the mound after you put the gas on it--it's the fumes that does the killing and the bucket will contain the fumes to the mound area itself.
I've tried everything and gasoline ends up being the most effective. Personally, I like to sir up the nest and then pour it on.
Amdro has always worked for me. I just have to be patient because it takes a while to do its work. It could get expensive for any yard bigger than your average suburban lot however.
Is that the same talk-to-your-plants--infomercial garden weasel Jerry Baker that has been called a gardening quack and got rich doing it? (BTW--fire ants don't go after sugar or sweet smells)
I don't know about all the accolades, but he was doing some kind of public broadcast channel stuff for a while. All kinds of home remedy stuff. There were some other solutions for fire ants, too. I just didn't post them. The two were fairly simple ones that are supposed to kill the ants. The others were deterrents, like sprinkling talcum powder around the mound or using various tapes or crushed mint. Most were to keep them out of the living quarters, not to rid the yard.
Spearmint planted around the area will keep many insect including ants away. Problem is that once established, it spreads easily and to rid the area, you almost have to dig up the earth and haul it away. Experience speaking, here.
Got a 50lbs bag of DE back home (I think). Basically powdered sea shells. ****s up insects of all shapes and sizes.
Actually, it's not sea shells. It's the exoskeleton of microscopic organisms called diatoms, and is almost pure silica. Apparently there's some dried up lakes where those organisms thrived for millennia, and now they cultivate those skeletons, then bleach 'em and grind them up to make DE.
Actually, it's not sea shells. It's the exoskeleton of microscopic organisms called diatoms, and is almost pure silica. Apparently there's some dried up lakes where those organisms thrived for millennia, and now they cultivate those skeletons, then bleach 'em and grind them up to make DE.
It's a great medium for swimming pool filters too.
Amdro has always worked for me. I just have to be patient because it takes a while to do its work. It could get expensive for any yard bigger than your average suburban lot however.
ymmv
All I or my family ever saw Amdro do was make the whole colony pick up and move about 10 ft over and build a new mound. I guess if I repeated this often enough, I could make them move off my property but I would be in the poorhouse before I moved them that far.
Originally posted by maryjane: If you can, place a 5 gal pucket over the mound after you put the gas on it--
Please advise on where I can pick up a pucket.
------------------ Ron Count Down to A Better America: http://countingdownto.com/countdown/196044 Isn't it strange that after a bombing, everyone blames the bomber, his upbringing, his environment, his culture, his mental state but … after a shooting, the problem is the gun?
My Uncle Frank was a staunch Conservative and voted straight Republican until the day he died in Chicago. Since then he has voted Democrat. Shrug
This is some crazy stuff. It has edges like razors on a microscopic level. It scratches the waxy coating on the exoskeleton and the exoskeleton itself, and then acts like a desiccant and dehydrates them.
My mom takes a tablespoonful every day for health benefits, it kills off intestinal parasites among other things.
Didnt expect that, so it doesnt harm any human organs?
It's a great medium for swimming pool filters too.
Yeah, but pool grade has a lot of added chemicals.
quote
Originally posted by 2.5:
Didnt expect that, so it doesnt harm any human organs?
Nope, not at all. Supposedly it has many health benefits, including helping with cholesterol and removing plaque from the bloodstream, although I don't know that that claim is medically confirmed. But no, it's completely harmless to humans for consumption.
1. 1/4 cup liquid hand soap to 1 gallon of water. pour solution on the mound. Repeat about 1 hour later to be sure it penetrates the inner queen's chamber.
2. 1/2 cup honey 3/8 cup bakers yeast 3/8 cup sugar Mix in a bowl and put in their pathway. The ants will flock to the sweet taste. The yeast kills them.
Ive read about a simular remidy. 1/2 cup honey 1/4 cup boric acid (Ingrediant in Laundry soap).
Pour boiling water down the nest Pour lime on the ant hills.
the best easy cure is to place a shovel full of one hive 2 on hive 1 & also place a shovel full of hive1 on hive 2 & they will fight it out some times it takes 2 transfers,, let the ants warm over the shovel blade,just keep them from going up the handle if you have to cover any distance good to watch them go crazy & mix it up ,but I am fascinated by mortal combat to the death !! no chemicals needed
So is food grade DE needed to kill ants or will the pool filter grade work?
There are several grades--among them are: Food grade (for humans) Feed grade (for livestock and pets. Pool or filter grade.
The difference here lies with the way that each type of DE is treated. Pool grade DE is calcinated, meaning that is treated with very high heat. This turns the silicon dioxide that is present in the DE into crystalline silica. Pool grade DE has a pretty high (up to 60%) concentration of crystalline silica and should never be used for anything other than a filtering agent. Pool filter grade diatomaceous earth has been heated and chemically treated. It will poison an animal or human who ingests it, so it is always of utmost importance to only obtain food grade diatomaceous earth to use in and around your household, and use feed grade outside.
Feed grade or Agriculture grade DE is not considered by the FDA to be pure enough for human consumption. Feed grade can and does have concentrations of heavy metals and arsenic. To be considered Food Grade, the DE must not contain more than 10mg/kg of arsenic and no more than 10mg/kg of lead.
Then youd have aluminum in your yard too. But anyway...
