Best way to get ride of big ants?

[two_bit_score]

Used to be old timers used something called 'high life' to kill red ants. Poured it down inside the hill and in a minute or so lit a match to it.

 

[Beltzington]

Good opportunity to air my theory, after dealing with fire ants for the last 12-years I believe ants are territorial, ants kill other ants to protect their territory, ants are prolific and can reproduce at will. Unless you are willing and able to treat the entire acreage there is not much point in killing a mound, millions of replacements are waiting in line to fill in the void. Live and let live, just don't start a conversation without first looking where you are standing.

On another note -Dawn soap and water works great to kill wasps, hornets and cockroaches on contact. Not as fun as a blow torch but much safer.

 

[Brake Weight]

I concur.

As a kid growing up next door to my grandpa, I got to help fight them in the cow pastures. He had about 50 acres and kept about 50-60 head. The fields were sectioned off by fence and creek. There was a back 40, a lower 40, and a front 40. Although he only had about 50 acres total, these sections were almost the same size. The cows kept the grass fairly low and the ant's hills were easy to spot. He would mix some kind of poison with diesel. Put this in a pump sprayer and shove the home made 3' wand down as low as he could into the hill and shoot it in. We'd canvas each field as best we could maybe once a month in the summer. If you stayed on them, they weren't bad. If you get the queen, the colony may die. But if another female is hatched, the colony can continue. Although the diesel/poison would force it move over a few feet.

I've got a self employees 'bug man' that does our house. He'll mix up a batch of whatever and make his rounds ever so often. We're so far out that we're always the last house. He always asks and I say go ahead and he'll spray all the hills around my house. In his first two trips he's got all the ants pushed back from the yard that I can mow with a lawn mower.

 

[Skyco]

I have been fighting Red Ants for the past 5 years. I have 2 mounds about 3 feet around and no matter what I have used they always return. I was discussing this with a friend and he told me about a new product he picked up at the "Big Box Store". It is made by Ortho and was called something like Orthene (spelling??). Comes in a plastic bottle, its a white powder, and is about 10" tall. I bought some, sprinkled it around the mounds and it appears to be working better than I have seen anything do in 5 years. I'll check it out again this weekend and give a report after a week.

Orthene has been around, I'm guessing, at least 20 years
I think it works pretty well in my experience, where a lot of people fail is going for the quick kill, that usually lets the mounds relocate. Orthene powder gets tracked into the ant nest and gets the queen. That is where ALL new ants come from...

 

[Tdcw4]

Ortho fire want killer in a upright round jug works really good

 

[Rio_Grande]

It may be that I cannot win,,, but I wont quit, I paid for that hillside and I plan to use it!! or at least be able to walk through it without getting eaten alive.

This weekend I am going to spread seven granular in the area. The last dose of spray made a big dent but there are still alot of workers roving around. I plan to spread the seven a little heavier than I do in the yard. If nothing else it will lay there till the next group tries to move in.

 

[John Deere 55]

Grab some gasoline and matches, that'll do the trick

 

[DJ54]

I read on a gardening site last week, but am anxious to try it this summer...

The guy said empty two packets of Nutra-Sweet near the entrance of the hill. Within a couple of days, they are gone. I'm assuming he was speaking of a regular sized small ant hill. Guess you could grab a couple packs at Mickey D's to try it, and out nothing..., or if you already use it, a few more for a larger hill.

He went on to say that one company is buying Nutra-Sweet in bulk, and repackaging as ant killer... Take it for what it's worth...

I'm sure it will come up, if you Google, Nutra Sweet+ant killer.

I never use it, but if its true, I'm dang sure NOT going to..!!

 

[tcfarm]

gas worked on mine, not even necessary to light it, but way more fun

 

[Toddao]

How about a big anteater