Surround them with diatomaceous earth, and spray the perimeter with 50/50 water & orange oil. Don't get the liquid too near the bunnies.

You can also try coffee grounds which supposedly ward ants off.

I have not heard that coffee grounds ward off fire ants. They are very agressive and do not let anything stand in their way to get food. I would like to wish them off the face of the earth. They build their mounds in my raised beds and attack anyone ignorant enough to even come near with their awful stings.

They also kill ground-nesting birds and even small calves in our part of Texas.

That diluted orange oil will kill them on contact. If you find a mound, you can soak it with that. You can treat mounds with the diatomaceous earth, but it takes several days and you have to keep agitating them. This stuff cuts them up and that's why they don't like it.

Try to eradicate them from your beds, then spread the d.e. around them. Be careful with the orange oil because it can kill plants.

They will also attack baby birds that have fledged from the nest if they sit in one spot for too long. I have found a dead baby bird covered in fire ants before. With all the rain lately, those fire ants are busy building mounds. Hopefully, you can figure out a safe way to protect the baby bunnies, but then again, those bunnies can end up as prey for just about any predator - hawks, owls, coyotes, etc.

The only time we get mounds of fire ants is when we forget to put out nematodes. Even if we only do it once a year, it makes such a huge difference. We still have ants travelling through, but there aren't enormous armies of them everywhere, and you really notice the difference when you start seeing enormous mounds in the neighbors' yards. Might be too late to put them out now, unless you're in an area that's getting a lot of rain and isn't too terribly hot yet. If it's already baking, put them out in late October or early November.

Surrounding the nest with diatomaceous earth is a good idea. Wear a mask when you're spreading it, and don't get too close to the nest so they don't breathe in too much of it before it settles.

Orange oil works quickly and they don't like horticultural molasses either! PJ

Thank you all for your suggestions! I'm ready to get out there and kick some fire ant butt!

Give em an extra whallop for me! LOL! PJ

A hefty dose of orange oil and molasses will move them on. About 2 oz each per gal, we also use Spectracide in the non veg garden general yard area, its a never ending battle with those little s**ts.

Well, I found four more dead baby cottontails today. The rabbit nest was swarming with fire ants. I didn't even have a chance or the time to treat their mounds with your suggestions.

Forget organic--I want to after those fire ants with the big guns. I'll use any poison. I would like to know what will kill them as soon as the mound is treated. With all the rain we have been having, it seems like the fire ant population has just exploded.

Any suggestions on what to use on the mounds to kill them outright? Amdro doesn't kill them quick enough for me.

I'm telling ya, if you soak that mound with orange oil, it will kill them dead quick. Farm grade vinegar would probably do that same thing.

Here's a website that has a few ways to rid of ants, both indoor and outdoor types, mainly natural remedies that might help. Hopefully the ants will stay away.

http://www.thefrugallife.com/ants1.html

Mine is a new problem ever since we adopted a dog,cat and bird and now fleas galore! I'm looking for natural ways to rid of these pesky little creatures.

I usually boil water and pour it over the mound. If I'm feeling particularly pissed at a mound I'll bury a shovel in it and turn it over and then pour the boiling water over it. Kills them immediately. Of course the grass dies too but I don't care, bermuda comes back no matter what I do to the stuff. Kills the ants right quick though and doesn't have any nasty side affects to the wildlife or my dogs. The hardest part is waiting for a large amount of water to boil.

OK......this is what I do when confronted by them and want them dead and gone right away. Get a can of Raid and a big butcher knife. First, spray the Raid in a big circle around the mound about 2' in diameter. This will keep them from getting to you when you directly attack the mound with a blast of Raid. Then use the butcher knife to cross-section the mound a few times alternating with blasts of Raid. It will kill them pronto.

I didn't even know that ants could kill animals!
Now that I'm in the country and no longer in a concrete jungle I have to learn a few things.

They are in my beds too...I have already had numerous bites this year..I hate them so bad...and it is a never ending battle.