Doing My Own Fire Ant Treatment

[dieselscout80]

My new tractor is hydostatic and thus has no set speed in a gear at specific RPM. However, it does have cruise control, but what’s the best to tell the speed? Will a hand held GPS work or is there something better?

 

[lman]

Cell phone would work.

 

[jyoutz]

IDK anything about fire ants, but in my experience ant bait is applied around the mound, not spread everywhere.

 

[dieselscout80]

Mound application works for yard, but when you are doing 14 acres it’s not effective to spot apply bait to each mound.

Estem is designed for pastures the application rate is 1.5 pounds per acre and it works.

 

[dieselscout80]

Lman, what are you saying on a cell phone would work a standard function in a Iphone or an app?

 

[jaxs]

My new tractor is hydostatic and thus has no set speed in a gear at specific RPM. However, it does have cruise control, but what’s the best to tell the speed? Will a hand held GPS work or is there something better?

Before gps,we put a mark or tape on inside tire tread that could be seen from seat or on outside where a helper could see it walikng alongside. Mark starting point on ground then use tape measure and stopwatch for x revolutions to calculate ground speed in fps. Worked fine on low tech tractors,maybe it will work on today's.

 

[dieselscout80]

I think that would work for a gear drive tractor, but not sure with a hydrostatic drive tractor.

I did find out that my old GPS still works and displays ground speed.

 

[marhar]

Anyone against non native species being eradicated probably lives somewhere where there are none..

In most instances I would agree with your statement. Just for example, in the south one can hear the kudzu grow on a quiet summer night. If you have ever had to "fight" it you know what I mean.

However, there are a few non native species that have taken hold and benefited us: the honey bee, brown trout, and northern pike are is non native.

 

[jyoutz]

I’m sure glad that fire ants cannot survive the cold winters where I live. We have mound building black ants, but I’ve heard that fire ants are horrible.

 

[jaxs]

I've had fire ants for decades agree they are bad news but I disagree with the majority about is taking the scorched earth approach in attempt to eradicate them. People blanketing their property with pesticides is the reason those that are most effective have been taken off the market. Seriously,is it worth killing everything that crawls just to temporarily beat down the fire ants? Wild hogs are much more destructive than fire ants,should we braodcast poison laced bait without regard to other creatures killed in the process of controling hogs?