I hope that they don't reach Cherokee Co. I lived with then in Flordia, and I don't see how anyone can garden with them, much less stand still in the yard. I couldn't get rid of them. had to just keep walking or get attacked.

I hate, hate, hate fire ants! I've actually considered moving north (a lot) to escape the fire ants and scorpions. I'm so sick of my kids getting stung and bitten every year. Bah.

Diane

Slowly, over time, they are adapting to colder weather. When we bought our first house in Texas in 1984, they were already there in the Fort Worth-Dallas area, but the general consensus was they couldn't survive further north than the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. Here we are 25 years later, and they have traveled much further north than the Dallas-Fort Worth area. I expect that, in the next 20-25 years, they'll make it to northern Oklahoma.

Armadilloes, by the way, are also adapting to colder weather and are increasingly found in northeastern states where they've not been known to live previously.

I think fire ants will always be with us. They are horrible here in Love County. I mostly manage them with organic techniques, but once every three or four years they seem especially bad and then I break down a buy a chemical product that has proven to be very effective for us called "Come And Get It". I think I last used "Come and Get It" in 2006. Some of our neighbors have also had success with a newer chemical product called "Over and Out", but I haven't tried that one. You can't use these chemical fire ant products around food crops though, so when fire ants get out of hand in the veggie garden or under the fruit trees, I use an organic spinosad-based product.

Diane, the first few years we were here, scorpions got us all the time. I completely stopped wearing any shoe that had open heels or open hoes (no sandals!) for 5 or 6 years because the scorpions would get me every single time I stepped out of the house in shoes like that. The last few years, though, I've hardly seen any scorpions and I don't think one has bitten me since about 2003 or 2004. I don't know, nor care, where they went, but I hope they stay there. I finally started wearing flip-flops, sandals and open-toed shoes occasionally although only if I am just passing through the yard on my way to the car. I still can't wear sandals around the yard or garden because of all the venomous snakes, but I wear them to town.

Dawn

I'd love to hear more about fire ant solutions in and around the veggie garden! I just figured there was nothing safe to use so just resigned to live with them.

And the scorpions. Sheesh. I wish they were just outside. It's the ones in the house that drive me batty. Everyone has to wear shoes even indoors. No beds, sofas, table, or chairs can be against any walls. (Scorpions travel mainly on the floor and walls -- and things directly touching those.) All of us are on high alert from about 5 in the afternoons until 2 to 4 a.m. from spring through fall, watching for scorpions. We kill a few each night.

Forget it. I'm going to rob a bank and then buy and move to a remote, creepy-crawly-free island. :-D

Diane,

Fire ants thrive in poor soil that is low in organic material. Adding organic matter helps because soil that is "biologically active" is less appealing to fire ants.

Using dry molasses (scattered on the ground) contributes to biological activity in the soil and helps control the fire ant population.

Spinosad is an organic treatment for fire ants and some other pests. It is made from a bacteria commonly found in soil. I have found that a Spinosad-based fire ant product used in the veggie garden as directed on the label is somewhat effective, although not a 100% "cure". Once the fire ants ingest the Spinosad, it affects their central nervous system. I think the one I use is made by Safer.

Some people treat mounds in the veggie garden and in pet areas with an orange-oil based drench. I have used Citrex Fire Ant Killer in this method, but not in a few years, so I am not sure if it is still available, but other similar products are.

Texas A & M University has long avocated use of the "Texas Two-Step Method" to control and manage fire ant populations (You can never totally eliminate them.) Unfortunately, the two step process involves broadcasting a chemical bait and following up with a chemical mound treatment. In recent years, though, an organic version of the Texas Two Step Method has been recommended for organic gardeners.

I've linked more info below.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: Organic Texas Two-Step Method

My parents live in southern Pittsburg County, and their yard is infested this year. They probably have 8-10 ant mounds. Last year, they only had two. I know they've tried Amdro, and it didn't seem to work much. I live in the northern part of the county, and I'm sure they'll be here before much longer.

Oz,

Although we rarely use chemicals in our landscape, we have used "Come And Get It" twice and it has really worked well for us here in Love County where the fire ants are about as common as blades of grass. I've also had moderate success in the veggie garden, which is organic only, with organic fire ant products that contain Serenade (a biological control).

Dawn

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll pass it along to my parents. It's just a frustrating situation. The ants are getting so bad that the kids are afraid to play outside.

Ozlifter,

You're welcome. I understand the frustration. We have a 2-year-old who visits our house often and I watch her like a hawk outside because the fire ants are everywhere this year.

If your parents choose to use something like Come and Get It, tell them to be sure to water it in very well. I believe it must have something sweet in it to attract the ants, because our dogs will try to lick up any that isn't watered into the ground. So, when we put it out, we usually do it early in the morning and then water it in well with the sprinkler. Then, in the evening we water again to water in any that might remain on the surface of the soil. The dogs are kept in an "untreated" area for that day and aren't turned loose to play until we're sure that none of this granular product remains on the surface of the soil.

One thing that is interesting at our house (and I have no explanation for it) is that no matter how many fire ant mounds pop up in the rest of the yard, they never pop up in the fenced-in dog yard. I have no idea why this is so.

Dawn