Be aware that almost without exception, all medicines come from something 'natural' and any 'natural' product that has medicinal properties can also have side effects including Neem oil "Potential Neem Side Effects in Children Neem seems to be fairly toxic to children. There have reports of very serious, sometimes immediate neem side effects in children. These reported side effects include: Vomiting Loose stools Drowsiness Overly acidic blood Anemia High levels of white blood cells Seizures Loss of consciousness Coma Swelling in the brain Loss of life." " Many people assume that neem is automatically free of side effects because it is a "natural" product. However, it is reasonable to assume that any natural product with medicinal properties is capable of causing side effects. Neem side effects can be especially dangerous in children." "Possible Side Effects of Neem A few clinical studies have reported side effects with neem. These possible side effects included: Low or no urine production (which may be a sign of kidney damage) Kidney damage Liver damage Yellow skin (jaundice), which may be a sign of liver damage Destruction of red blood cells Allergic reaction, which may cause symptoms such as: A rash or hives Itching Swelling of the mouth or throat Wheezing Difficulty breathing." That said, I've had exceptionally good luck eliminating fire ants with any of the baits that contain spinosad. Here is a link that might be useful: Neem side effects

Ants in veggie gardens are really easy to deal with. FIrst, you get a really long stick. Then, you whack the heck out of the mound a couple of times. The ants move along, usually to a spot that's OK to use Amdro in and then you can put the bait there. Stick whacking works in flower beds too, where you can't wait for them to die off and they've built a nest undeneath a prize plant that exposes all of the roots to dehydration. Follow it up the next day with a good soaking with the hose.

Part of your problem with the "constant battle" is that you haven't got a plan to follow and you are "basically flinging it everywhere". Sit down now and rehearse in your mind what you will do for any garden pest that is worth the hassle and expense of killing. How will you handle it? Your lesson from all this is READ THE LABEL FIRST ... and FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS on the label, completely and accurately. You just contaminated the heck out of your garden, and all those granules you spread around the outsides of the other containers were wasted as well as contaminating the garden. See the link below for control methods for gardens. Most of the tips on the internet are useless, and some are harmful. Here is a link that might be useful: TAMU: Managing //fire Ants in Vegetable Gardens

I checked the coverage on the bag when I bought it, and I agree, they don't add much inert ingredients to their product, which would lead people to over-apply it, costing way more than necessary. I am already seeing results, whooppee. Got bitten one time outside today, compared to the covering of bites on my feet the last while every time I ventured out to garden. I didn't know the Amdro has a short shelf life, though. Thanks for alerting me. I hope the product I bought is still effective to do the job. The corner lot here has a very large frontage, but nothing compared to what your friend has to deal with. I can't imagine having that kind of maintenance - those buggers have been out to kill me this year! jeribelle