Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh lol... Poor jayco had no idea what he/she was starting with this thread llmao. I think I going to go make some borax/baking soda dish detergent and do a load of dishes since I'm out of dish soap and don't feel like wasting gas on a trip to the store to get more ;)

Hi Marnie, What can I say like well Ants are everywhere, and while they are there at least you know you dont have termites, but they are a jolly nuisance all the same. And yes I know what it is like to see them come into your house by the thousands go up the wall and walk all around your cornices to come down again and go out through the front of your house somewhere, beats me why they didn't walk over the garden to the front, or under the house, it would have been a lot quicker. Now we are talking brand new house here 5 years ago, hubby and I built it ourselves and while we were building it I said to hubby look at all those ants coming up the bearers, then when we put the joists in same thing, by time we put the frame up the wall studs were alive with the blighters so you can imagine our surprise one day when we go to the block to start work to find none there at all, why because it rained. And I have noticed over the past few years since we have lived here, when it is real dry they come in looking for water, I used to find them in the bath, sinks and even in the toilet cisten, then when it rained really heavy the same thing happened. This year we have had none so far, in the dry or wet but that could be because I have put down those Bait Stations where they go in and take some of it back to the nest and feed Her Majesty and she dies. About two months ago I layed the Bait Stations again when I seen them come in and I seen them go but they have not returned.I cant believe it as there are thousands in the Garden and if you can put up with them out there, let them be after all its their back yard too. But in the house well thats a different matter and I think its best they are not there.....Cheers..MM.

The two organic fire ant killers that I use probably are labeled for use around dogs, but you'll have to Google and read their labels and see. I don't use them in the dog yard because we don't have ants in the dog yard. I use them in the veggie garden. The organic fire ant killers are derived from natural organisms that target ants, and I do know people who've used them in yards where both dogs and children play. Conserve and Come And Get It both have Spinosad as their active ingredient. Spinosad also is used in some pet products, like heartworm pills, for example. Most dog breeds can take those heartworm pills, but in the back of my mind I am thinking there are some breeds that can't. Regardless, property used Spinosad products would be broadcast over a wide area and watered in so they wouldn't be lying around on the ground for a pet to lick up anyhow. I use another ant bait sometimes whose active ingredient is Avermectin. Here is some info on Conserve: Conserve Fire Ant Baits Here is some info on Avermectin, which is the active ingredient in Advance ant killer. In the Q&A section, they answer a question about using it around pets. Advance Ant Bait with Avermectin Both of the above ant baits are biocontrols derived from natural sources and biologically they target ants, not pets, but research carefully to your own satisfaction. I use them in gardens, not in dog yards, so I've never researched them for pet use. When used in my garden, which my dogs and cats both are allowed to enter and roam around in, neither the dogs nor cats ever have shown any interest in the ant baits used in the beds.

Lots of discussions here about 'aphid control' that the search will pull up to read but average numbers in the average home garden can be just hosed off plants with a garden hose or spray bottle of plain water. You can even add a small amount of dish soap to the water in the bottle to kill them if used with care. And there are all sorts of soapy-water based commercial aphid sprays available. With small infestations or in small gardens all you need is a pair of gloves and squishing fingers to eliminate most of them. But the big attractant for them, what leads to major infestations in any garden, is an over-abundance of nitrogen use in and around the garden. Excess nitrogen vaporizes into the air and acts like a flashing neon beer sign for aphids. ;-) As for Amdro, in addition to the points Dan made, you use it in such small amounts directly on the mound that any that could somehow migrate to your garden would be miniscule and still pose no threat to you. Dave