Organic Fire Ant Control?

[rockdoveranch]

Interesting about the guineas!

Armadillos eat ants, but down here, even with all the armadillos we have, there is no possible way to eradicate the ant problem.

While still living in the city I was told years ago that urine will kill ants. I tried this with an ant bed in my yard and it worked after several "applications"! I collected it in a jar and poured it on the ant bed.

I used to do the same out here, but we just have too many ants and too much wooded land. Once you have seen a cooperhead in a tree and various breeds of snakes resting in bird nests, you (at least me) think twice about going into the brush for any reason.

 

[lee&lyric]

I don't know if this would work for fire ants, but it works for other ants so I figure it would probably work. I mix a little borax in with corn syrup and drizzle it in spots on the mound where ants are coming and going. I usually have to put it on twice a day for 4 or five days or until I don't see anymore activity. The size of the ant hill will determine how much you will have to use for each application and if you get a rainy period you will likely have to restart the program. I find under the right weather conditions this is 100% effective.

Good looking out. I'm going to share this with Lee. While cleaning up our land we noticed SEVERAL and I do mean SEVERAL on ours . One of the boys is allergic to ants and we've gotta get the land to where they can play outside so the FA's must go.

 

[lee&lyric]

I have 6 guineas that free range a couple hours a day, and since we have had them, I have seen MUCH less fire ants. We used to put down that "over and Out" stuff each summer to try to keep them out of the yard so the children would not get bit up. I couldn't put it down once we had chickens and guineas, and I was afraid we would be overrun with ants, but the Guineas EAT THEM! Yay! They will find a nest and attack it and keep at it. They have not been a problem since. In fact I don't think I've seen a mound in the yard since then

Oh snaps, this is even better 'cause Lee wants guineas. Let him tell it, they protect the chickens and will kick butt anything 'cause they're bad mamma jammas! Thanks vegaburm.

 

[that's*satyrical]

Boiling water also works.

 

[zzGypsy]

we moved on to a 10 acre property in So. Cal a few years ago that had over 200 fire ant colonies on it... we tried a bunch of stuff but what worked was the amdro. not organic, but totally effective.

here in SW MO, we don't have fireants (at least I've not seen any) but we've got tons of the little black ants. once we got our guineas, the number of little black ants in the house went from a lew group every day, to none. I've never seen the guineas actually eating the ants, but about 3 weeks after we got them, they started to be less prevalent, and within 2 months, none in the house.

 

[aileenB]

Keep the ants away this summer, securely and cheaply. You have stuff at home that can do just fine. There are Cheap and natural ways to get rid of ants. One way to avoid ants is to avoid planting flowers and fruits that attract aphids, white flies, and mealy bugs. These insects excrete a sugary substance that attracts ants to the yard. Other methods include keeping food waste well contained in the trash and avoid standing pools of water that may draw ants to the yard looking for water.

 

[Cotopaxi]

Antopia Ant Bait Stations work wonders for large plots of land, you just fill them up, lay them down and give it a week or so for your ant colonies to start diminished. But if your really in a hurry to see those little pest die them I recommend any spray, any will do, just be thorough with each colony.

 

[boykin2010]

I have always heard putting uncooked grits on the colony worked... I have never tried it, so I cannot say one way or the other. It may be worth a shot though....

 

[MatthewBanner]

Well the Best thing you can go for is call an pest control exterminator,they will help you out from getting rid off these Ants.

 

[Devonviolet]

This past February we bought 10 chickens, to increase our laying flock. At the same time we bought 7 French Guineas, to act as bug control in our vegetable garden. Among other bugs, we have read that Guineas are especially effective against ants of all kinds.

However, don't discount the effectiveness of chickens as ant control. When we built our chicken coop, DH put a landscape timber along the foundation until he could build up the dirt around the coop to keep water from running under it when it rained. When he took up the timber, he found a large ant colony. He called the chickens over, for a treat ("chook, chook, chook"). They came running, and made short order of those ants!