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.
I would suggest putting a bounty on dead ants and paying neighborhood children to kill them for you. Their parents will appreciate your lessons on economics and the value of hard work.
do ants have "exoskeletons"......if so, what about a big bag of diomateous earth all around the mound. they walk on it, get it internally, and it rips them up inside.
what about boric acid....wreaks havoc with their nervous system and dries them up.
i know these things because my son just moved into a cockroach infested rat trap in Richmond VA to attend school. gotta love those university landlords.
That Ortheen powder made by Ortho should kill them. I have used that for years in Texas. The biggest problem is to make the ants track the powder into the mound to kill the queens.
What I do, is
Stand up-wind from the mound.
Stir the top of the mound to make the ants defend the mound
Sprikle the powder on the crawling ants.
LoL.
They *FIZZ* to death.
There is no problem that can not be solved by the proper application of high explosives.
My thoughts exactly. One MOAB, stat!
I've bookmarked this for future reference. But my fire ant problem is not that bad, although I have been bit many times. We have those aerobic system systems and you have to be very careful or they will get into the electric system there and that can be an expensive system. The last time the septic man came out he got bit about 200 times. I was unaware that they had gotten in there. The nasty thing is that you don't know they are on you until they all bite at the same time. Then you look down and find yourself covered. Ouch!!
Andro is what I use. I have found a better way to dispense it. Take an empty top and drill several holes in it then put it on the top of the new container. You can then shake it out on the mound rather easily. They will be gone within the day although I suspect they merely go elsewhere.
I have wondered if it were possible to devise some kind of hot poker device to fry the bastards in the hole. I don't know if that will work though as the nests are supposed to go about six feet in the ground. You have to kill the queen.
You should nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.
Nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.
Trust me. You don't get rid of roaches.
Conventional explosives would only piss them off and throw them at you.
Forget the chemicals. Go natural. Here's the way:
http://www.dirtdoctor.com/radio.php?id=325
Howard Garrett is a very knowledgable Texas landscape specialist. The details are:
1. Spray the infested area or site with any compost tea, orange oil and molasses mix. Garden-Ville Auntie Fuego and GreenSense Soil Drench are two commercial products.
2. Drench the worst mounds with the same products that contain orange oil, molasses and compost tea mixture.
3. Treat the site with beneficial nematodes. These living organisms and must be used before the date deadline on the package. If they are dead they won’t work. They can be applied with a hose end sprayer or a large watering can.
4. Go organic. Fire ants don’t like the competition. The biodiversity of microbes, insects, and other animals is the best long term control of fire ants and many other pests.
Damn! Beat me to it!
Three years ago, after trying many products, I used Over N Out, from WalMart. Haven't treated my yard in the 3 years since, though probably will next spring. You have to put it out solid like fertilizer, and just when you think it isnt going to work (takes 4-6 weeks) you start to notice you can't find any fireants anywhere. A huge plus is no treating the mounds each #$&@ day as they appear. One treatment and your done for AT LEAST a year if not more.
I read here that you take a burlap sack and soak it in diesel gasoline,wring it out, then lay it over the mound after dark. The next day all the ants should be dead.
Try the N. Koreans, they just killed some a few days ago. Warning, makes big mushroom cloud. ;o)
LOL! If the queen gets char-broiled, then it is only a minor setback. ;-)
Over 'n Out. Truly great stuff
Diazinon powder, the higher the percentage of diazinon in the powder the better. Read the directions. works on scorpions too!
"...Any suggestions would be welcomed..."
Don't try it in Germany....
____________________________________
Germans banned from killing ants
Google | 4-29-03
Posted on 05/02/2003 12:28:21 PM EDT by WKB
Ananova:
Germany has introduced new laws making it illegal to kill ants and appointed 85 ant protection officers to protect the insects.
Homeowners and gardeners who attempt to destroy an anthill or underground nest will face hefty fines if caught.
They must now apply for a permit from their local forestry office to have the ants carefully moved to local woods.
"People with an ant hill in their garden must under no circumstances resort to the use of poison," said senior ant protection officer Dieter Kraemer.
"This is a violation of federal nature protection laws and punishable with hefty fines."
He added that ants were highly valued by German foresters for eating insects which attack trees.
A high ant population can prevent costly and environmentally unfriendly woodland spraying aimed at pests such as the Nun moth which attacks pines and other conifers.
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