Fire ant control

[vineyridge]

We only recently been infested with fire ants in the pasture. My neighbor uses diesel fuel on the mounds and then burns them. I can’t see that that would get the queen. I’ve thought of knocking the mound down with a long handled hoe and then burning it. I’ve thought of using water pressure to dissolve the mound and then burning it.

I’m not happy at the thought of putting anything poisonous in the pasture that the horses just might eat accidentally. I’ve looked at some of the “organic” products that are recommended–drenches and powders and granules–, and I’ve looked at the Texas A&M fire ant site.

Now I’m asking for consumer reviews on what y’all have done to slow down or eliminate fire ants in YOUR pastures. Products, methods, etc.

I know there are many threads on fire ants, but there might be some techniques that may not have been addressed in the earlier threads.

[pAin_t_Misbehavin]

Amdro Pro took care of mine.:yes: Be sure and follow the label directions and sprinkle it in a circle six feet from the mound. Worked like a charm.

The bag says it’s safe for pastures, but I apply it as I rotate the horses off a pasture to be on the safe side.

My county agent recommends using an IGR in addition to the poison. I haven’t done it because of the expense, but it sounds like the best plan.

[deltawave]

Unearth the mound, then have at it with an acetylene torch. No chemicals necessary–just fight “fire” with fire. We don’t have fire ants up here but my southern friends tell me this works just dandy.

[MikeP]

Amdro is the best, and it’s safe.

If you are simply dead set against using that sort of chemical, here’s what we did before Amdro was developed:

Pour gasoline on the mound. Do NOT set it on fire! Gas fumes are heavier than air, the fumes will settle down to the bottom of the mound and kill all the ants, including the queen. Setting it on fire destroys the gasoline fumes before they can work.

As I said, Amdro is better, but if you just gotta’, gasoline will work if you don’t set it on fire.

[Guilherme]

They’ve got two or three different kinds of “fire ant doom” at the Co-Op. The stuff I used last year workd (I think it was an Ortho product) but smelled like a batch of really strong kimchi.

We had some contaminate diesel last year and I tried it oun a couple of mounds. I didn’t set it alight, just let is soak in. Seemed to do the job.

For opening up a nest a small diameter auger works quite well. Then use what you want to sent all the little buggers accross the Rainbow Bridge. :lol:

G.

[Spotted_Pony]

Grits

I’ve used uncooked grits for years. Sprinkle the grits, ants eat them, carry them to the Queen and then when they drink water they explode. Safe and fairly quick.

[ponygirl]

Ortho Orthene works great.

[Over_the_Hill]

I second the Ortho Orthene. . . it does not take a lot, it’s a very fine powder. You sprinkle just a small amount on the mound. It does not have to be watered in, and in HOURS that mound is dead. Not moved to another location, but dead. The stuff stinks to high heavens, but I use it judiciously whereever I have ant hills. Have been using it for several years now and couldn’t be happier to find something that really works.

[walkinthewalk]

I was using diesel fuel on the mounds around the barn and clorox on the mounds in the pasture. Nothing was working.

[QUOTE=pAin’t_Misbehavin’;3982242]
Amdro Pro took care of mine.:yes: Be sure and follow the label directions and sprinkle it in a circle six feet from the mound. Worked like a charm.

The bag says it’s safe for pastures, but I apply it as I rotate the horses off a pasture to be on the safe side.

My county agent recommends using an IGR in addition to the poison. I haven’t done it because of the expense, but it sounds like the best plan.[/QUOTE]

I have to agree with this poster, as the pest control guy that sprays around our house for black widows, etc. commented that burning them out doesn’t work because they just pack up the queen and go somewhere else. He said I could dig a hole to China and the queen would always be “three shovels full ahead of me” :eek:

The purpose behind sprinkling the poison SIX FEET from the mound is because the ants are very intelligent.

If they sense the stuff on TOP of their mound, they interpret this foreign matter to be dangerous to them and will move.

If the poison is far enough away from the mound, they think it is feed and will carry down into the cavern for food for everyone including the queen.

[GallopHer]

Please don’t use diesel or gasoline if you are on a well, or if there are wells in your area. Amdro Pro is an excellent bait and it is safe for the environment when used properly.

[pAin_t_Misbehavin]

[QUOTE=walkinthewalk;3984831]

The purpose behind sprinkling the poison SIX FEET from the mound is because the ants are very intelligent.

If they sense the stuff on TOP of their mound, they interpret this foreign matter to be dangerous to them and will move.

If the poison is far enough away from the mound, they think it is feed and will carry down into the cavern for food for everyone including the queen.[/QUOTE]

:yes: Exactly right. A person could dump any substance on top of the mound and it might appear that it killed the ants - my MIL thinks pouring dirty dishwater on their hills kills fire ants - but actually, the colony just moved somewhere else in response to having their mound disturbed.

[SkipHiLad4me]

Yes please do not pour diesel, gasoline, or clorox into the ground. This is an environmental nightmare :no:

Sevin can be used as a mound drench but your best bet is to use mound treatments in conjunction with a “bait” (Amdro Pro, Extinguish, etc).

[ponygirl]

[QUOTE=pAin’t_Misbehavin’;3985768]
:yes: Exactly right. A person could dump any substance on top of the mound and it might appear that it killed the ants - my MIL thinks pouring dirty dishwater on their hills kills fire ants - but actually, the colony just moved somewhere else in response to having their mound disturbed.[/QUOTE]

Sorry, but Ortho Orthene truly kills them dead. Ant bodies are everywhere.

[MunchkinsMom]

Here is a very good publication that talks about the various methods and chemicals to use for fire ants:

http://www.uaex.edu/Other_Areas/Publications/PDF/FSA-7036.pdf

[vineyridge]

Looks like Extinguish Plus is the way to go for pastures. Thanks for that.

[system]

[QUOTE=Spotted Pony;3982393]
I’ve used uncooked grits for years. Sprinkle the grits, ants eat them, carry them to the Queen and then when they drink water they explode. Safe and fairly quick.[/QUOTE]

Ok. I am not being a smart arse but… have we ever seen this done?? I would like to see how it works.

[MikeP]

[QUOTE=Nun Ya;3990948]
Ok. I am not being a smart arse but… have we ever seen this done?? I would like to see how it works.[/QUOTE]

I have heard that the uncooked grits thing is a non-urban legend. Does that make it a Rural Legend? At any rate I’m doubtful, but with so many effective treatments there is no compelling reason for me to waste perfectly good grits on an experiment…

[MunchkinsMom]

@vineyridge;3990856

Looks like Extinguish Plus is the way to go for pastures. Thanks for that.

Just thought I would pass along the information sheet for the product, it is listed as a combutible solid product, along with some other cautionary information:

http://www.zoecon.com/pdfs/extinguishplus_msds.pdf

And one more site with information about various products and where they can be safely used:

http://fireant.tamu.edu/broadcastbait/products/latest_greatest/pdf/latest_greatest_en_041907.pdf

[MunchkinsMom]

Well, the ant mounds popped up like crazy in my pastures this week, so I grabbed the container of Enforcer Fire Ant Bait that I had in the barn, and started sprinkling. Then I watched a few of them to see if the ants were bringing it into the mound and they were. In fact - two hours later I went out, and all the bait was gone! Those ants are amazing. Now, I just hope it works.

And I need to get more tomorrow - it will take me a while to walk the whole 10 acres to try to get all the mounds.

[daniel22]

Hi,

I have used natural home remedies to get rid of ants naturally.

I have used the combination of borax, sugar and water solution to remove ants from home. It takes few days but it really works.

http://www.hometermitecontrolsydney.com.au/termite-pest-control-treatments/