Pests/Ctrl That Organic Fire Ant Killer Didn't Work

R

Rabbit

Has No Life - Lives on TB
I posted in Dec about orange oil killing fire ants. It killed some of them but now that it is warming up the same ant beds are back bigger than before. Don't buy that expensive stuff. I saw it on YouTube and thought I had the solution. I'm going to try it again only because I didn't use it all the first time.
I apologize for steering you wrong.
 
Shooter

Shooter

Veteran Member
my brother is in lousiana and had them bad,

now I dont know if he was kidding, but said it takes two people.each has a shovel. on 2 different hills, stir it up a bit to get a bunch of ants on the top. then each person scoops a shovel full of dirt and ants, and runs like hell to the other hole and dumps his shovel full on the other hill. he said they will start fighting, and get wound up enough they will start killing there own and kill the both hills.

oh, after dumping the shovel full. drop the shovel and run, RUN!
 
Caplock50

Caplock50

I am the Winter Warrior
Baking soda. Absolutely safe for *all* living things. But it 'kills' the fire ant venom and makes them vulnerable to their enemies. In other words, it's like sending a soldier into battle without a weapon of any kind... And I know it works...I've used it a lot myself. But, naturally, it won't 'end' them right away. It may take a day or so...but they *will* 'disappear'. Wait until you have at least 3 days of dry weather ahead to use it. Just sprinkle a bit on their mound and...wait...nature will take its course.
 
kyrsyan

kyrsyan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Amdro. Had to deal with them in GA. Tried a whole slew of things. We only managed to keep a 40 x 40 area clear by applying Amdro every 3 months. That gave our son an area to play. The main nest, which can be deep underground, was not on the property we were renting so we had to keep treating.
 
B

Barry Natchitoches

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Shooter said:
my brother is in lousiana and had them bad,

now I dont know if he was kidding, but said it takes two people.each has a shovel. on 2 different hills, stir it up a bit to get a bunch of ants on the top. then each person scoops a shovel full of dirt and ants, and runs like hell to the other hole and dumps his shovel full on the other hill. he said they will start fighting, and get wound up enough they will start killing there own and kill the both hills.

oh, after dumping the shovel full. drop the shovel and run, RUN!
Click to expand...
This really does work. Sometimes.

Another thinf that can work IF it is warm with a sudden and deep freeze about to set in: pour a LOT of water in the hill, getting some of it deep - and do this right before the cold weather settles in. If it gets cold enough, long enough after the cold front hits, it will freeze the water in the hive. Good chance of killing the queen that way, as the water freezes and expands in the hill.
 
tech

tech

Veteran Member
Ortho Orthene...it will kill the colony...

...and a month later another colony will move in.

Just priced it this morning and it has gone up 30% since last year.
 
Kathy in FL

Kathy in FL

Administrator
_______________
They are fire ants. There is no getting rid of them completely. They are resistent to most chemical and natural methods.

HOWEVER what a lot of people don't do is destroy what is attracting them in the first place and replace it with what repels them.

Look up plants that repel ants. Fire ants are more difficult to repel but not impossible. Like someone else mentioned, if all you do is kill the mound, another colony will move in shortly.
 
F

Freebirde

Senior Member
These work best on newer nest. Containers and raised beds, boiling water is best. Alcohol and dish soap mix will kill many and force the nest to move. You can chase the nests and retreat as needed. If you are expecting a good rain (or sprinklers are about to start) apply dish soap to the top of the nest. This will help the water to go deeper into the nest and cause the protective coating on the ants to break down causing more to drown. I haven't tried the more alkaline dishwasher soap yet but plan to on the next nest. Never had the chance, but wondered if putting a piece of dry ice into the top of the nest and filling the nest with CO2 would work.
 
Kathy in FL

Kathy in FL

Administrator
_______________
Also, remember that nests are not a single hole in the ground but are a complex series of entrance/exits, tunnels, etc. You need to find all of the exits to a mount or you will have ants escaping and carrying off the eggs to start the next mound.
 
Doc1

Doc1

Has No Life - Lives on TB
The best and cheapest method I've found is to pour a little diesel on the nest. Note the word "little." It doesn't take much at all. Diesel is a light oil and this coats their bodies and prevents them from breathing. Pour diesel on day one. No ants on day two. Oh, do not light the diesel; just pour it on.

Best
Doc
 
Marie

Marie

Veteran Member
I personally would rent a flame thrower :D
Honestly though when I lived in the southwest Amdro was my go to.
 
Caplock50

Caplock50

I am the Winter Warrior
How much cheaper can you get than baking soda? It does no harm to the ants...that they can tell...so they won't be running from it. They'll actually be carrying it into the nest.
 
kyrsyan

kyrsyan

Has No Life - Lives on TB
One thing to remember is that fire ants do not do small colonies unless they are new to the area. The first thing they do is build a deep, deep hive. 5 to 6 foot deep. Once that is in, then you will see small hills that are from side colonies. So you may get one side colony, but still not get the mother hive. So they will keep coming back.
Amdro can work but it takes time and may not get the big hive.
To really get rid of them you have to make a concerted effort to get every single entrance you can find in a single day and lay down Amdro. And pray. Because that may clear most of your yard. But then you need to look again each week and watch for where they start coming back from. That will either be where the main hill is or the guide to where it is. If it is not on your property, you are SOL. All you can do is keep sharp eyes out and deal with incursions as they come. Of course, if they can't spread to your property, they will spread to where they can, so your neighbor may actually do something about it.
If the main is on your property, just keep dosing with Amdro until they are no more. And that may take more time than you think. And the hive will keep trying to spread out and get away through underground paths, so stay alert all over.
It's a war. Not a one and done battle.
 
changed

changed

Preferred pronouns: dude/bro
Whenever the wife is done frying fish or something like that, I take the hot grease out back and pour it on a fire ant mount. Very enjoyable.
 
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