Red Ants

[Gem99ultra]

I'm using SURRENDER put out by Martin's. That stuff KILLS any ant mound DRT (dead right there). None of that mound moving from one place to another, and no coming back.

One small 1# can ($14) is enough to lightly sprinkle on all the mounds on my 13 acres. And plenty left for another hundred or two, should new ones unfortunately make there way onto our place.

We're using diatomaceous earth to hopefully kill of ticks. Back in the old days, it was $0.05 a pound. Now? I don't even want to know. But it's totally safe and works, although slowly.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

Diatomaceous earth is my choice for ants, slugs, snails and other such ilk. It is a benign natural material and not very expensive. I buy it in 50# bags at the farm store. For ants; I spread liberally over the mound, heavy at obvious entrance tunnels, and about 3' all around. It plugs up their alimentary canal and they die from inability to eliminate. Usually get them with 1 application. Slugs and snails; spread over a 1' wide path around the area to be protected. It slices and plugs up their mucus membranes so they cannot move and die of starvation.

Ron

 

[TimothySherrill]

Late but, thanks for the advice.

 

[oosik]

I bought a 25# bag of granular ant & bug killer about twenty years ago - Triazacikicide by Spectracide. I think it's been banned by EPA now. I put a narrow path of the material around the house every year. Keeps everything out or kills everything that crosses the path.

Likewise I have used it to put down any ant activity within 100 yards of the house and outbuildings.

 

[jaxs]

Be carful what you wish for when killing ants. Fire ants made there way from somewhere in or near South America to the USA gulf coast several years ago. The government used planes to spread tons of poison in attempt to stop their spread. The poison wiped out native Red Harvester Ants allowing fire ants to spread and colonize areas previously occupied by the native ants. Horned Lizard (aka Horny Toad) population decreased as result of loosing a primary food source. Fire Ants are responsible for millions of dollars loss to farming and ranching as well as millions more damage to homes. Ground nesting bird populations have nearly been decimated by fire ants. As it presently stand's,a few areas where landowners refrained from spreading poison are populated by Red Harvesters,Horned Lizards,ground and nesting birds but Fire Ants are absent. You might think you are cutting a fat hog by killing everything that crawl's on your property but if and when Fire Ants take their place,they are not that easy.

 

[oosik]

You have a very valid point there jaxs. But killing everything that crawls around my house and outbuildings represents less than three acres of the eighty I have out here. They can dam well do their own thing on the remaining 77. And as far as that goes - since my nearest neighbor is four and a half miles away - they can do their own thing out there in that space also.

However - in all honesty, I wonder if fire ants are as winter hearty as the big black carpenter ants or the red&blacks or the piss ants we have up north here.

 

[MH8675309]

"However - in all honesty, I wonder if fire ants are as winter hearty as the big black carpenter ants or the red&blacks or the piss ants we have up north here."

Havent heard them called that in years - piss ants

 

[Tractor Seabee]

I've not tried it, but if I had a situation such as yours, my first lines of offense/defense would be diatomaceous earth and/or Amdro. Organic Pesticide - Diatomaceous Earth Kills Ants, Insects AMDRO® : Home

We have an ant around here that builds those mound nests. I scatter the nest with the FEL then sow the whole area with diatomaceous earth. If they are in a location inaccessible to the tractor; sow a heavy layer of DE on and around the mound. Re-apply after rain or other heavy moisture. Soon they are all dead. DE is cheap and should be available at your farm store. Comes in 50# bags. The name brand stuff doesn't always work unless DE is the base material. Why pay for a name and small packaging. Also it is bio-degradable and not poisonous to animals.

Ron

 

[jaxs]

"However - in all honesty, I wonder if fire ants are as winter hearty as the big black carpenter ants or the red&blacks or the piss ants we have up north here."

Time will tell if they adapt to cold climate. The self professed experts said they couldn't colonize anywhere other than in heavy clay,meaning it would be difficult to cross NM and Az to reach California's fruit and produce industries. I put 2 cu yds of play sand in a pit for the grandkids and fire ants built nests in it.

 

[oosik]

Building a nest in the kids sand pit is very serious. One area where you can't use poison. I actually have some heavy soil - we call it silt here - it's about four feet down - in places where I have that much soil over my bedrock.

Around here its the red&black ants that build the big above ground mound nests. I found a way to NOT get rid of them. Poured a mix of diesel/gas on the mound and lit it. Three day later it was still smoldering and had burned underground to a spot about 15 feet away from the mound.

Took quite a while to dig it all up and ensure everything was completely out.