fire ants

[dmccarty]

Amdro worked for me around the house.

Our local chat list just had a lady post that her chickens love Fire Ants. She said the rooster would find the ant mound, scratch the heck out of the mound to get the ants moving and he would start eating. The rooster then would make a come hither sound to the hens would would go to the mound and eat away.:licking:

I guess if the chickens ate enough of the ants eventually the queen would move or die.

Twas interesting in any case but you would think the ants would sting the heck out of the chickens.

Later,
Dan

 

[forgeblast]

biffin it and talstar. Liquid and granular I use them both, they are also listed for imported and domestic fireants.

 

[Bird]

That's the first I ever heard of chickens eating ants. Have you ever disturbed a fire ant mound when there were eggs there? The fire ants move their eggs up and down in the mound or tunnels to regulate the temperature. There may be thousands of little white eggs very near the surface when they need the sun to warm them, but if it gets too hot, they move them down in the earth.

 

[jinman]

If you have fire ants in the yard, they may find their way into electrical breaker boxes and other electrical switches/outlets. They also seem to like septic systems and water meter pits or well houses. If you go to Tractor Supply and get a pack of 25 generic cattle insecticide ear tags, you can use them whole or cut them with scissors and put a sliver in electrical panels, plugs, and switches under the covers. They will last up to a year and repel the ants. It's a prevention rather than a killing dose, but you won't have to deal with the ants in your electrical wiring or other places they love to make home. Insecticide pet collars also work, but are much more expensive for the amount you get.

 

[brin]

You need to kill the queen and thats done with this...
Fire Ant Killer, Ant Control & Ant Bait for Killing Fire Ants by AMDRO Fire Ant Killers

I used this and the next day there was a pile 8" around the ant hill made up of dead ants that live ants brought out from the bottom of the colony.

Apply AMDRO Fire Ant Bait and it starts to work immediately. The worker ants take the bait and carry it into the mound for the queen to eat.

The day after that even the workers that were bringing up the dead bodies were gone. Not an ant within 100ft of that pile. They never did show up again.

I agree, I have had the very same experience with Amdro...it really works...

 

[creekbend]

That's the first I ever heard of chickens eating ants. Have you ever disturbed a fire ant mound when there were eggs there? The fire ants move their eggs up and down in the mound or tunnels to regulate the temperature. There may be thousands of little white eggs very near the surface when they need the sun to warm them, but if it gets too hot, they move them down in the earth.

Bird, you are 100% correct. I've seen fire ants do that.

 

[heehaw]

i have a root fertilizer stick, that i plan on putting poison in instead of the fertilizer, an using it to probe into the fire ant nest: plus i will pick up some of the things mentioned here, thanks for all the info: i really believe, all the storms we had last spring moved these things in here: we also got a plague of stickers a couple years ago, after a really stormy spring..had never had burrs or stickers or whatever you call them in the yard before that...finally got them under control: as mentioned, we have had some real battles
the last few years with different pest: they keep changing, but i keep fighting..
have not spent near enough time in Mtn View..am in the process of tearing out some of the floors an replacing with hardwood from Melbourne...plus had new windows put in a few weeks ago...
heehaw

 

[grsthegreat]

I recommend Napalm. I HATE THOSE $&#@ THINGS.

 

[Uncle Doug]

Fighting fire ants is a never ending job here in SE Texas. It is compounded if the neighbors are not helping. I keep a bag of fire ant granules handy and make weekly trips around the yard. The only good thing about the Texas drought is that it has driven the fire ants deeper under ground. After a good rain the mounds will re-appear.

 

[dmccarty]

That's the first I ever heard of chickens eating ants. Have you ever disturbed a fire ant mound when there were eggs there? The fire ants move their eggs up and down in the mound or tunnels to regulate the temperature. There may be thousands of little white eggs very near the surface when they need the sun to warm them, but if it gets too hot, they move them down in the earth.

Growing up in FLA, messing with fire ant mounds was something that we did. For some very strange reason. :laughing:

We used to kill them by disturbing the nest then drip burning styrofoam on the ants. Not real effective but it was entertaining to a kid. :laughing: It was much better than using fire crackers. Fire Ants can fly pretty far when sent into low earth orbit by a fire cracker. When Fire Ant Astronaut lands on you, they are NOT in a good mood. I guess they do not like to fly..... :laughing:

Later,
Dan