ant killer thats safe around livestock and food crop

[jk47]

Ant are really bad this year and there on everything and there in my hen house and on my corn also around the pig pens I would pefer only one product for both uses because im short on cash and it has to be safe for the stock to eat

 

[M.L. McKnight]

Baking soda and powdered sugar. (5:1 ratio) I have had luck with this and was told that it worked because ants can't burp. Maybe they get a sugar high and go psycho on each other in the anthill, for whatever reason it is effective.

 

[jk47]

thanks both of those are cheap and edible I will try that tommarow

 

[Baymule]

Boil orange peelings, put the water in a sprayer with a gallon of water and 2 tablespoons of molasses. It worked for me on fire ants.

 

[Backwoodsman]

Maybe some diatomaceous earth sprinkled about? BWM

 

[animalmom]

@jk47, what did you end up using for the ants, how often did you apply it, and how well did it work for you? Inquiring minds would really appreciate an update, please and thank you.

 

[jk47]

oh yeah I forgot about this thread no I did not end up using those methods. I kept on forgetting to use it then when then ants were bad but I well try it for real this time

 

[greybeard]

Plant some WW-B.Dahl grass. Ants, particularly fire ants, do not like this forage and rarely build mounds where it grows.
No, this is not some homeopathic mumbo jumbo--scientific studies have shown certain insects do not like ww-b. dahl.
http://www.silvercreekfrm.com/index_files/page0005.htm

http://www.jstor.org/stable/3899936?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

http://www.brosigbdahlgrassseed.com/

(scroll down to near bottom of page for the relevant part of next link)
http://www.hornedlizards.org/abstracts.html

http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=18040551
WW-b.Dahl by the way, is an excellent forage.

 

[Baymule]

WOW! @greybeard what a timely post! I am excited about this grass! I like not only the fire ant repelling aspect, but love the drought resistance and high density, low fertilizer aspects. There is not a lot of open ground on our little 8 acres, so I have to make the most of what I have. The soil here is SAND, and one of the articles said Dahl is hard to establish on sand.

Can you tell me more about this grass? Or maybe start a new thread and tag me so I don't miss it? Would love to hear of your experiences with grazing on this grass.

What is the grazing season? Do you have a mixed or pure stand? How long after seeding before grazing? How tall is it and what is recovery time after grazing?

Definitely buying this seed. THANKS! !!!

 

[JASTECH]

I used quick grits/instant grits for the ant hills around my goats and dogs. Worked great for me, don't use chemical here.