Pour a little gasoline on the mound, wait a minute or so for the fumes to spread through the tunnels, then toss a match. You get a satisfying poof and many dead ants, along with a circle of dead grass that grows back in a few months.
That’s what we did, without lighting it. Big brown blotches. This was in Valdosta GA, a stone’s throw from the Florida State Line.
You beat me to it. Yes, this works wonderfully, so simple.
Also works on in ground Yellow-jacket nests/hives.........never fails......
Years ago I did this with two fire ant mounds at my parent’s house. One of them had bit my little sister so we wanted to get rid of them.
The two mounds were about 50 feet apart in the backyard, so I filled a pint Mason jar with gasoline and my father and I went out to take care of the problem
I poured about 1/2 the pint of gasoline into one mound, let it soak for a few minutes and then tossed a match. Getting a satisfying ‘WHOMP!’ and a ball of flame, we moved on to the next mound, as I said, about 50 feet away.
As I’m pouring the rest of the pint into the hole, I told my father that it would really be something if these two holes were connected down in there somewhere.
About this time, I hear another ‘WHOMP!’ and a geyser of flame erupts from the mound, engulfing my hand and shattering the jar, which luckily for me was almost empty by then.
About that time my pregnant wife looks out the window and starts screaming, seeing me with my hand burning like a candle wick.
I immediately turned and fell to the ground with my hand underneath me, putting out the flames.
This being the late 60’s, they had just started recommending cooling down burns by soaking them in ice water.
So that’s what I did, keeping it in the ice water until it no longer hurt when I lifted it out. This took about 4 hours.
I guess I was really lucky because though my hand was bright red for a few days, the only blister I had was one on my middle finger and thumb where I was gripping the heavy glass threads on the jar.
So be careful if you try this.
LOL!
When I was a kid in Lakeland, until the water pistol melted due to adverse gasoline chemistry, I used to use a candle and the water pistol to immolate ant hills.
Great fun! And, I never got burned!
Use of the match not necessary. Just pour on the gasoline. The hydrocarbon vapors, being heavier than air, sink down the tunnels and asphyxiate the little pustule-raising demons, including the queen. The small circle of grass will still die and regrow.