Just wanted to add some more thoughts on D.E. as to why it is so useful for the above purpose as well as many others. Insects don't have the ability to clot (unlike humans)their internal fluid (blood) there for if they get pricked they will literally bleed to death no matter how small the cuts are. D.E. can even be applied in a sprayer (with a small squirt of dishsoap to help stick it to plants or other surfaces) if kept agitated so as not to clog the nozzle. Then when it dries it will be reactivated. It will wash off so will need to be reapplied if rain or over head watering is used. The one thing I always remind folks about DE is that it is a dust and needs to be handled carefully so as not to breathe it into your lungs. (not a good thing). Use a standard dust mask if air borne dust is a possibility. Not trying to horn in Al, just offer more info on the subject.:) Happy Growing David

Frequently asked about - there will be additional discussion available.

It was great. I got quite a bit of good stuff. I need to learn to dig faster, cuz I just ran out of time. Everyone was so nice and very helpful. I learned so much. I want to do it every week! Manged to avoid the poison ivy. But here is a list of what I remember the names of-- Black Cohosh Blood root Two kinds of wild ginger Iris cristata Sweet shrub Christmas fern U mbrella Magnolia Partridgeberry Phlox Bergamot Green and gold Climbing hydrangea Crossvine Wild geranium And a couple of others I can't recall the names off right now. There was a photographer there from Southern Living magazine. He took a bunch of pictures to go with an article written on a pervious rescue. I guess the article will be out sometime next summer. They have a thing about wanting the pictures to be seasonly appropriate. Of course we were all lovely sweaty messes so I know I am kind of hoping I'm not in any of the shots they use.

The fire ants are small ants. If they are small, red and in Florida, then I think it is safe to say they are fire ants. I think carpenter ants can be red, also, but are larger than fire ants. If you have both red and black ants, I would use both terro and amdro. They are baits so you won't see results instantly. And initially, it will attract more ants. The workers have to carry the bait back to the nest and feed it to the queen in order to eliminate the colony. The bait kills the workers and the queens who ingest it but it takes a day or 2 to see results. Sevin won't kill the queen unless you find the colony's nest and dust/spray the nest.