non stop fire ants

16 years ago

I have used the fire ant killer (pelletized) on ant mount. Every time after I put it there on each mount, another mount has been created either next to it or not far from it. I don't think that the pesticide works. What else can I do to repell the ants. I really don't want to KILL them, but just want them not to create mounts and mounts and get close to my house or lawn. Are there other ways? Thanks

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
16 years ago
You need to kill some ants. Don't worry, you'll never run out of them. ;-) Have you used Amdro, the ant BAIT? When used properly, the ants will take it deep into their nest, where is will eventually be fed to the queen and her brood.

Amdro should be sprinkled lightly near a mound, but not right on top of the mound. The ants should not be disturbed or they will move. If the product is fresh ( it does not store well), and applied properly, it works perfectly. A little bit goes a long way.
0
chueh
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you so much. I used the sprinkle type and I cannot remember the brand name (not home now). Anyway, after reading your answer, I think that I did everything wrong. I put a lot of the stuff on TOP of the mount and I could see them disturbed and moving very fast around. I will try it again, as you said. If it is not working, then I will definitely get Amdro bait. Thanks so much
0
Related Discussions
Non=Toxic Ant killer
Q
Comments (4)
I'm not sure what supporting data you're looking for. I have used it myself on fire ants and black ants in Arizona. It worked. I've recommended it to friends, it worked for them too. I guess the molasses and sugar attract the ants, the yeast kills them when it expands. Please feel free to clarify your question, if this isn't the data you're looking for.
...See More
Fire ants in LS Full Tide
Q
Comments (6)
These ants came into the Port of Mobile way back when they still had the banana docks for United Fruit. So we hold the title of introducing fire ants to the country. From here they spread across the southeast. VERY hard to kill them. When we were kids, we called them "piss ants" because they bit the p.... out of you. Then the bite formed a pus-filled sore, got infected, and you had impetigo.....one thing after another. Their tendency to make the sores is not good news for a diabetic like myself. The ants create a tall mound above the ground, made from the aerated soil of their below ground network of tunnels and chambers. In the case of Lakeside Full Tide, it was way up the petioles. With a lot of rain lately, they were seeking dryer quarters. So this was the biggest pot in the area, and they sure filled up the pot. This morning the plant looks normal, and no signs of fire ants around it. In a pot, taking the mound out is delicately done, but a lot easier than if the mound is in the garden itself....they just move someplace else! Yesterday I moved adjacent pots far away from that spot, and used the poison in the vicinity, then watered it in where my digging doxies do not find it so easily.
...See More
Fire ants and a Dog
Q
Comments (4)
There are options on the market that are safe to use around animals, as long as you read and follow the directions. You'll have to become a label reader, as a matter of fact, in order to find these products in your garden center as there are several manufacturers using the same active ingredients. My favorite fire ant bait is Amdro, which I won't recommend for you, even though the ants usually gather it up from the surface of the soil and take it down into their chambers within a few minutes. Your dog is not likely to even see it. Anyway, I am going to strongly suggest that you look for the active ingredients I am going to list, but only in a BAIT formulation. Not a liquid, not a surface killer, but a BAIT. It will be labeled that way. The active ingredients are Spinosad (spinosyns) and Avermectin. Both are derived from naturally occurring organisms that will affect the fire ants, but not your dog. As I said, several companies make their own brands using these ingredients, each with different names, so you'll have to read the label. Whatever you do, don't ask the 'help' at the big box stores to point you in the right direction. Perhaps if you ask for "organic" fire ant killers, they'll understand what you mean. Neither of these baits will cause instant death of the ants. Neither will the Amdro, for that matter. However, they work slowly but surely to kill the entire colony. You will notice their absence in a few days or weeks. I strongly suggest that you try to kill the ants, rather than move them from one place to another. Boiling water (useless against fire ant colonies), water from the hose, grits, orange peel, and all of the other familiar ant remedies won't remedy your problem. Fire ants can be dangerous when they begin showing up all over the yard. It's important to keep the population at a reasonable level and we can do that without toxic chemicals.
...See More
Have you tried Demon on fire ants?
Q
Comments (6)
Bacteria and fire ants have something in common. Through the improper use antibiotics, bacteria have become resistant to antibitotics about as quickly as fast as new ones come to market. Similarly through the improper use of chemical controls and ineffective non-chemical controls, we have placed an unnatural evolutionary pressure on fire ants. The solitary queen colonies are rare occurrence today. Those colonies that accepted multiple queens, survived, prospered and procreated. Drenches of chemical/non-chemical controls do not penetrate deep within the colony. Surface apps of the old standby Acephate are similarly ineffective. You may get one or two queens and it may seem like the mound was eliminated but it just got smaller and is less visible. Today if individual mounds are treated a bait must be used for effective control. It's carried into the mound and shared with the entire colony. The down side to bait is that it becomes unattractive when wet. Bayer puts out a product called Top Choice. It is very selective in regard to damage to beneficials but the downside is that it takes up to 6 weeks to establish control but provides effective control for up to a year. It's also very pricey but it works. I trialed it on my 1 acre yard treating just half of it half and it performed flawlessly but then I read the directions twice and then applied. TAMU and the Ag Extension knows more than me. I'm just regurgitating what I have learned from them.
...See More
Kimmsr
16 years ago
The single best source of information about Fire Ants is Texas A & M since eveyone else with information about these buggers copies that information.
There are several products out there that purport to control Fire Ants that do little except seperate you from your money, so look at this website to determine what to do.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fire Ants
0
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
16 years ago
chueh, you really have to out smart these little beasts. Our tendency is to attack them with big guns, when we really need to sneak up on them.

Go out in the cooler part of the day with your Amdro and locate a mound. Sprinkle a very small amount around the perimeter of the mound, but not ON it. The directions will tell you to moisten the area lightly with the hose, but unless your location is extremely dry, you will not need to do this. If you stand there for 5 minutes, you will see the ants take all of the granules into the mound before your very eyes.

Disturbing the mound in any way will send them packing, instead of foraging.

Oh, I've found that a paste of plain meat tenderizer neutralizes the venom, when applied promptly after a sting. I HATE this darned things! I've got an itchy sting between my fingers as we speak, lol!

Say, has anyone observed their birds (especially robins, jays, cardinals) 'anting'? They'll sit on a fire ant mound and dust them selves with ants. NUTS!
0
chueh
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you all very much. Fire ant invasion is not as big as a problem of those other ants who came to my house. I actually got two bite from those tinier ants in my bathroom floor when we had a drought in GA not long ago. I had a serious allergic reaction that I had a difficulty breathing and had serious hive. My head was all swollen up, and I had to go to EM.

I don't know what kind of ants they were. Anyway, I had found an army coming from the very edge between the carpet and the fireplace. They were lined up and went into the container of nuts. Gosh! I screamed when I saw the phenamennon. I quickly vacuumed them up. Then, I put some ant killer stuff I told you about at the spot where they came up from the floor. I did not know what to do back then except doing that. I have not seen ants come up at that spot. However, I just don't think it's nice to leave the stuff there. What can I do???
0

non stop fire ants

Comments (5)

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

chueh
Original Author

Related Discussions

Kimmsr

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

chueh
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

non stop fire ants

Comments (5)

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

chuehOriginal Author

Related Discussions

Kimmsr

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

chuehOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

chueh
Original Author

chueh
Original Author