Posted on 09/15/2004 7:31:58 AM PDT by An American in Turkiye
Anyone have a tried and true way of killing fire ants? I bought some white, nasty powder from Ortho and all it did was make the ants move their mound. After 5 attempts, I poured boiling water on them. Killed them all, along with a patch of my grass. Any suggestions would be welcomed.
Flame thrower.
Spread the powder around but not on the mound......
We used to live just N.W. of Montgomery AL. I always considered it an acceptable trade to lose a patch of grass in exchange for killing these suckers. :-)
I don't know about "fire" ants.....but I got rid of ants (little ones outside) by pouring sea salt on their trail&spots....in the morning they were gone....never to be seen again. I read that they take the salt back to the queen, AND that they eat it, bloat up and die. Good luck.
Diesel fuel or JP4/5 takes care of those bad boys in Texas.
Pour the entire contents on the mound.
Works every time for me.
Amdro
Pour gasoline in the hole. Light on fire with a long, long stick. The gasoline vapors will expand through out the fire ant tunnels and explode when ignited and leave a big hole. It will kill the ants though...
No. I've been battling them for 20 years, with nothing working permanently.
Amdro can kill individual mounds, but I don't think it gets 100 percent of them.
I noticed, in Texas, that the tiny, black, "sugar ants" made a resurgence against fire ants if I just did nothing. Then, a "dusky" colored ant that moved fast and swarmed like fire ants, but did not bite, appeared. I theorized that sugar ants crossbred with fire ants, neutralizing them. But I suspect that it was just wishful thinking.
Good luck!
I use Spedtracide granuales, they take it right into the mound and feed it to the queen.
Just do not do what this idiot did a few yaers ago in my town. He poured gas on all th mounds in his yard, he used 5 gallons. These mound where connected underground with tunnels made by the ants. When this failed Darwin Award (he lived but with 3 degree burns on his ankles.) candidate lite the first mound they all exploded throwing his back yard in the air.
I used a product called Over 'n Out. It's guaranteed to kill them for a year. It's coming up on one year and has been very effective for me. Takes about a month to eliminate them, at first, but then they just don't survive. I'm starting to see an occasional small colony as the year is about to end
Nukes, big ones.
there's a type of corn meal that I believe is self rising. Pour a small amount on the mound - they'll take it below and then die.
There is a device that basically pumpes boiling water right into the mound.... that some exterminators have. Its the only way to guarantee to destroy the mound to my knowlege.
Fuel air bomb, or maybe a MOAB.
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