Invasion of Fire Ants

[Gem99ultra]

In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, my son is asking for advice on how to defend against the floating hills of fire ants. He says they're huge piles of them floating all over the place. And as soon as they bump into a house or other structure, they swarm in out of the water.

Is there a quick and easy way t ward off these invaders? Something safe enough that it won't contaminate the flooding water all around the city...

 

[MJO63]

Scoup them up and put a lid on it and throw em in a fire.

 

[rekees4300]

Your best bet is to spray their rafts with soapy (Dawn Dish Soap) water, which breaks up the ants’ waxy covering and drowns them.

 

[topbuilder]

Mix two mounds together. They will fight to the death.

 

[oosik]

Well - having been in flooded areas before - some advice. #1 - there is little or no concern about your contaminating flood water. Flood waters are already grossly contaminated - particularly in urban areas. Just don't dump 55 gallons of diesel fuel on the flood waters or anything like that.

I think rekees may have a viable solution. However - I would certainly be looking for something bigger than a little hand pump spray bottle.

Jeez - there is just no end to the problems this storm brought.

 

[Bird]

I would imagine many of our members have never seen one of those batches of fire ants in a flood. It's a sight to see. And I'd have no idea how you could kill them.

 

[fordmantpw]

Flame thrower. A propane-powered weed burner should take care of them I would think.

 

[bigdeano]

Malathion kills ants very well. A one gallon sprayer will shoot a ways and should wipe out a lot of them. Very cheap too.

 

[Complete Turf Care]

Try to find something with the active ingredient 'Bifenthrin'. It comes in liquid or granular. Get the liquid and mix it according to the label and spray the mounds with it.

It will usually kill within a few minutes. And it is safe for humans and pets if used according to the label.

 

[Alien]

Don't know about Brand Names but I use 'Out of Bounds' for termites and spiders and other ants. 1 litre mixes up to many gallons and you don't need much.