Hi Jolj: This may be obvious and forgive me, but can you identify where the red ants are coming from or are they under the compost pile. I think you must identify their source, then take very aggressive action. Here in the High Mojave Desert our Vector Control District wants to be notified immediately so they can chart the little monsters movement and they also say they will give you help which may mean just a pest control sight or ? You may need to move the pile a bit to observe their behavior. Horrid, nasty little monsters. That and killer bees make me very careful to keep looking around for anything unusual. Would you be willing to set up your worms in their own condo in the basement or laundry room for now and add as you feel confident you've eliminated the RA's? Out of the blue we suddenly had two hills show up in our lawn and it was practically instantaneous, weren't there one day and were the next. I got to discover them as I was out in the backyard with the dogs after dark one evening and apparently stumbled over one of the piles. I could clearly feel the bite, ouch!, and spent the remaining evening into the morning with my foot in an ice bath to kill the pain. I also take antihistamines due to really bad allegies so it wasn't just an allergic reaction, it hurt just like a severe burn from cooking. IT HURT for many hours. That was back in 2004. The next day I went out with the gasoline jug for the lawn mower, pour gasoline down each hill. I didn't light the hills on fire as we were in summertime and the heat generated down and inside the soil I'm sure did away with them. This past summer, I found them running around my yard on one side in a garden bed. No hills this time so watched their movement to see where they were moving back and forth from. I put down the Amdro granuals and that took care of them in my yard but I will be on the look out when soil warms up and ants begin to appear on surface. I don't care what's bad for the soil, the issues about dogs or cats or kids coming in contact with red ants is non-negotiable, I will do whatever to get RID of them And I agree burning the pile is likely the best bet. Immediate attention is absolutely necessary.

The Texas A&M website has plenty of good fire ant info, but only endorses chemical control of fire ants. I believe most of us here try to eschew chemical solutions as much as possible. Those of us in the south are pretty much stuck with the vicious little pests for the foreseeable future, so the question is how to keep them out of our gardens and compost piles without resorting to poison. That's why this forum is so valuable to me. Just in my opinion every "homegrown" method of control is probably worth trying out - some will work, some won't. (one exception - please don't try the "gasoline and a match" tactic) I've had some success with coffee grounds piled high on the mounds, boiling water from drained pasta, simply flooding them out, and whispering sweet nothings in the queen's ear. Last year my yard and garden were all clear of the devil ants. I thought I was invincible. Then somebody bought the vacant house next door and promptly began a chemical rampage on their yard, unleashing a massive fire ant migration right at me. Think I'll try some molasses this time.....

joanie_pomseed, "Most of those people were ignorant of ecology and didn't deserve that kind of respect. I should have exercised my own mind". One should always exercise one's own mind. "There's no fool like an old fool". There is the best reason for not trusting a person merely because (s)he is old(er). But we were not all ignorant of ecology!!! Go and read Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. You will learn much from it. Try, if you have the imagination and will, to live in a world without the lens and consequently, the camera, microscope and computer; then 'Google" Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (1632 to 1723) and appreciate the focus, tenacity and ethics of 'those people' (your words). Read and marvel over the Microbe Hunters in the book of the same name by Paul de Kruif. And there are many more. Reflect on the unassailable fact that everything you know, you learnt from an older person or from his/her writings. You are entitled to your thoughts, regardless of the quality, but when you express them on a forum like this, be prepared for unapologetic rebuttal

I occasionally add in banana peels. They at least aren't as sugary as other fruits. I'm not sure if it is fire ants we are talking about, or other ants. From the Texas Bug Book (Garrett and Beck) - a fairly good resource - fire ants supposedly don't like molasses. They mention that a lot, and also talk about applying "compost tea", vinegar, and citrus oil. [There may be commercial products available that contain these materials.] They mention that some gardeners have had good results with instant grits. The book mentions - I guess for ants in general - combinations of boric acid and various base materials (flour, sugar, jelly, peanut butter) with the proportions/ratios listed.