How To Get Rid Of Fire Ants

I’ve had pretty good luck with Sevin dust, not so much with the granuals. I sprinkle the dust on and around the mound, stir it up, and sprinkle some more. The key is to be very liberal with the application.
 
Pulled this thread out of the cellar so as not to start another one on the same topic.

Danged things have been relentless this year. I've tried the powder, the granules, hot water, nothing seems to knock em out and keep em out. Mounds everywhere, again and again. I'm beginning to think they are everywhere underground, all the time. And they mound up just to get outa the wet ground.
Today I go outside and this is what I find.20191020_122756.jpg
Bad enough to have em at all and now they wanna move in the house with me?
Oh no hell no, ain't happening.
I'm bringing out the heavy artillery, or so I am told. My bro hooked me up with this stuff. He says it's the shiznit in his neck of the woods. (Wayne county)20191020_124547.jpg
I treated 22 mounds today and ran outa time. will be back at it tomorow.
My other concern is what about any ants that were up in the wall or wherever they were when I treated...I sprayed up under the siding but that will only get so far ya know.
Went under the house to see if I could find em but not a trace.
Really hoping this stuff works.
I asked him, "why haven't you turned me on to this already?" His reply, " you never asked."
Thanks bro. Preciate it.
 
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Diatomaceous earth.... sprinkle it onto of the mound...ants gone in a few days.
The get it on themselves, carry it in the nest and it kills them. Safe around pets, chickens, people.

We buy a 5 gallon bucket of it which is like 20 lbs, I also spread it around the house every couple of weeks, keeps the other bugs away too.
 
If you’re going to use chemicals just jump right to the termador. It kills them all within a few days. They can’t detect it so spread it around. Kills termites, carpenter ants, fire ants.
 
Climberman said:
I want to know what he put in the ground to blow up like that. Was that just gas?
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Don’t know but he shouldn’t have to aerate before seeding now.

He must have used a good amount if thats what it was and the fumes had time to travel the tunnels for that kind of reaction.
 
svtf150 said:
Pulled this thread out of the cellar so as not to start another one on the same topic.

Danged things have been relentless this year. I've tried the powder, the granules, hot water, nothing seems to knock em out and keep em out. Mounds everywhere, again and again. I'm beginning to think they are everywhere underground, all the time. And they mound up just to get outa the wet ground.
Today I go outside and this is what I find.View attachment 162296
Bad enough to have em at all and now they wanna move in the house with me?
Oh no hell no, ain't happening.
I'm bringing out the heavy artillery, or so I am told. My bro hooked me up with this stuff. He says it's the shiznit in his neck of the woods. (Wayne county)View attachment 162297
I treated 22 mounds today and ran outa time. will be back at it tomorow.
My other concern is what about any ants that were up in the wall or wherever they were when I treated...I sprayed up under the siding but that will only get so far ya know.
Went under the house to see if I could find em but not a trace.
Really hoping this stuff works.
I asked him, "why haven't you turned me on to this already?" His reply, " you never asked."
Thanks bro. Preciate it.
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Sounds like you are laying it on thick. The ratio should be 1oz per gallon I believe at around 8% biferthrin and that is what I mix too and it works. You have the concentrated stuff that I've used to save pine trees from pine beetles if caught early enough.
Cheapest is to go to agrisupply in Gardner to get a gallon of it for $60 or find a buddy and split the gallon. https://www.agrisupply.com/fire-ant-bifen-insecticide/p/71657/ You can spray your whole yard with it and it will keep them out. Its the main ingredient in some of the granule prevents that can be bought at lowes. It can be sprayed in your house like the exterminator would. Once dry it is pretty safe. I don't go around licking baseboards lol
 
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I haven't seen fire ants at the house yet, but I'd been waging war with all the other kinds since I bought the place. Those crap ant bait stations don't work. The borax and sugar doesn't work. The Gamma-Cyhalothrin yard pellets don't work.

But this stuff....

upload_2019-10-21_15-45-15.png

It's a little spendy, but a little dab'll do ya, and it works like nothing I've ever seen. Massive infestations deader-n-dead in 24h or less. It says indoor use, but it'll work outdoors as long as it isn't raining.

Seriously, a little dab on their trail and they run get all their buddies. Says it works on fire ants too :
Argentine , Big Headed , Carpenter , Cornfield , Crazy , Field , Ghost , Harvester , Honey , Little Black , Odorous House , Pavement , Pharaoh , Pyramid , Red Imported Fire Ant , Rover , Thief and White Footed
 
About 1975 or so we had a member of High Score Gun Club in Florence, S.C. that was an employee at Clemson Extension. He came to the range where we had about 50 6 inch high and higher mounds. He had a half gallon jar of pellets about the size of fertilizer. He started at one side and put about a tea spoon full of the stuff in each mound. When he got to the last one, the first one was Smoking! Smelled like burning hair and flesh! I begged for some but it was a No Go. I don't know what form it took to get it to market but that was some Mean stuff.
 
BatteryOaksBilly said:
About 1975 or so we had a member of High Score Gun Club in Florence, S.C. that was an employee at Clemson Extension. He came to the range where we had about 50 6 inch high and higher mounds. He had a half gallon jar of pellets about the size of fertilizer. He started at one side and put about a tea spoon full of the stuff in each mound. When he got to the last one, the first one was Smoking! Smelled like burning hair and flesh! I begged for some but it was a No Go. I don't know what form it took to get it to market but that was some Mean stuff.
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1975? Probably illegal as hell now, thanks to your friendly government.
 
I keep a container of this for various pests and find that it works great if I soak down the ant hill, assuming I get to it early on. I haven’t tried it on a large established nest.
71R8hXv4wUL._AC_SL1500_.jpg
 
svtf150 said:
Pulled this thread out of the cellar so as not to start another one on the same topic.

Danged things have been relentless this year. I've tried the powder, the granules, hot water, nothing seems to knock em out and keep em out. Mounds everywhere, again and again. I'm beginning to think they are everywhere underground, all the time. And they mound up just to get outa the wet ground.
Today I go outside and this is what I find.View attachment 162296
Bad enough to have em at all and now they wanna move in the house with me?
Oh no hell no, ain't happening.
I'm bringing out the heavy artillery, or so I am told. My bro hooked me up with this stuff. He says it's the shiznit in his neck of the woods. (Wayne county)View attachment 162297
I treated 22 mounds today and ran outa time. will be back at it tomorow.
My other concern is what about any ants that were up in the wall or wherever they were when I treated...I sprayed up under the siding but that will only get so far ya know.
Went under the house to see if I could find em but not a trace.
Really hoping this stuff works.
I asked him, "why haven't you turned me on to this already?" His reply, " you never asked."
Thanks bro. Preciate it.
Click to expand...

A common mistake a lot of people make is not treating properly and to the full extent required to control an infestation.

My experience with ants says that spot treating is usually a stop-gap measure, not a full solution. You'll treat the mound, or mounds, and shortly afterwards discover new mounds nearby.

Infestation control needs to be thorough and layered. Go ahead and spot treat the mounds. But treat your whole lawn, too. Make sure your house is clean and trash/kitchen garbage is taken out on a daily basis, at least. Kitchen should be spotless at all times. Treat the interior of your house appropriately, as well. There are plenty of odorless residual pesticides which can be safely applied and are safe for pets afterwards. Don't forget your crawl space or basement, too.

A personal example from me would be fire ants while I was stationed in Charleston, SC. Spot treating killed the mounds...but others sprang up shortly afterwards nearby. I got together with the neighbors on either side of me and told them I was about to treat my entire lawn for fire ants...and we all went to Lowes that afternoon, picked up what we needed, and all three of us treated our lawns that weekend. No problems the rest of the year.

Personally, I think many treatment products are advertised in such a way as to get people to improperly treat their problem, resulting in a continual buying of treatment products in an attempt to control their infestation. "Just treat the mound with this and your problems will go away!"

Ants seem to have some kind of collective memory, too...you can clean the bejesus out of your kitchen, for example, and keep it sterilized with absolutely NOTHING out to attract them...and those buggers will keep coming back anyway.

Side plug: Don't bother with those Terro Liquit Ant Bait traps. These are the little plastic packets that contain a liquid bait that ants are supposed to love and take back to their nest, which will supposedly kill the nest.

My wife is very particular about using pesticides/chemicals for pest control (translation: she doesn't like them at all). So she will use these useless pieces of cr*p for ants in the kitchen. What you will get from spring to fall is a long line of ants to and from these stupid things, day in and day out, with no end in sight. They. Don't. Work. Worth. Squat. It's like candy to them, apparently.

So early spring, before ants really have a chance to become a problem for the year, I'll pick a time when my wife isn't around and liberally spread ant granuals all around the house up to about 8 feet from the foundation, paying particular attention to the kitchen and bathroom areas. Then I'll do the same in the crawl space around the kitchen/bathroom areas. After I've thoroughly cleaned the kitchen and bathrooms (wall to wall, cabinet to cabinet), I'll spray an odorless residual pesticide around all baseboards, cabinets, etc.

Then I'll bury any evidence of the containers deep in the outside trash bin, inside bags and sacks, so she never sees them.

What I get is an entire year of no ant problems without my wife knowing I went Saddam Hussein on the Kurdish ants and I don't have to get headaches rolling my eyes watching months of ants marching to and from those stupid Terro Liquid traps.
 
@NCMedic
Diatomaceous earth, something I have not tried. Would prefer something like this over chemicals/poisons. Thanks.

@JimB
Not heard of that either. I must not google much!

@tod0987
I was mixing it at 1/2oz to a gallon. Definitely milked up the water and strong odor. No sign of any activity today.

@Brian K
That gel looks interesting. I wonder if I put that little dab right on the mound if that would work? Don't really see trails around any mounds.

@BatteryOaksBilly
1975.......................ahhhh those were the days. Just had to pause and reflect..

@fieldgrade
I tried that product a couple years ago on the ants that were coming in my shed and didn't have good results so I abandoned it.

@Mirac
That's right, we be listening....

@RetiredUSNChief
Good advice and I agree wholeheartedly with all you said especially going about it with a strategy. I know I need to treat the whole yard.
Hardly can take the grandkids outside to play because of them. Except my one granddaughter Avaleigh. She could be covered in 'em like the guy in the pic above and wouldn't be bothered at all.
Great story on how you handle it in your wifes absence. Mine doesn't care so I can do like I need to.
Exactly: Terro ant baits...been there and done that too. Hey guys free food!! Day after day after day
I did talk to my neighbors, on one side of me he hardly has any and claims he hasn't done anything to get rid of any.
On the other side of me they quit trying and don't give a crap or so they say.
I see a few mounds in their yard but nothing like what I have.


Thanks all for your replies.
 
BatteryOaksBilly said:
About 1975 or so we had a member of High Score Gun Club in Florence, S.C. that was an employee at Clemson Extension. He came to the range where we had about 50 6 inch high and higher mounds. He had a half gallon jar of pellets about the size of fertilizer. He started at one side and put about a tea spoon full of the stuff in each mound. When he got to the last one, the first one was Smoking! Smelled like burning hair and flesh! I begged for some but it was a No Go. I don't know what form it took to get it to market but that was some Mean stuff.
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Screenshot_20191021-235808_Chrome.jpg
 
I once had a tire go flat on the Durham xpressway (hwy 147). Went back and had a jack, some boards, spare, etc. I changed the tire in the dark, and noticed some CRAZY stinging all over my arm. I had lain down in a huge fire ant bed and they were swarming up and down my arm! It swelled up like a balloon, but I am not one of these anaphylactic shock guys. I guess I got stung by so many yellow jackets as a kid that I have a kind of immunity to severe rxns. Anyway, I had dozens of runny sores and it hurt like billy oh.

I pay attention where I lie down, even to fix a car, nowadays.
 
tanstaafl72555 said:
I once had a tire go flat on the Durham xpressway (hwy 147). Went back and had a jack, some boards, spare, etc. I changed the tire in the dark, and noticed some CRAZY stinging all over my arm. I had lain down in a huge fire ant bed and they were swarming up and down my arm! It swelled up like a balloon, but I am not one of these anaphylactic shock guys. I guess I got stung by so many yellow jackets as a kid that I have a kind of immunity to severe rxns. Anyway, I had dozens of runny sores and it hurt like billy oh.

I pay attention where I lie down, even to fix a car, nowadays.
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Heck yeah. I used to be on the ground doing stuff like cleaning out the deck on the mower, oil changes and the like but no more.
Our patio has become my new work space for that kind of stuff.
 
BatteryOaksBilly said:
About 1975 or so we had a member of High Score Gun Club in Florence, S.C. that was an employee at Clemson Extension. He came to the range where we had about 50 6 inch high and higher mounds. He had a half gallon jar of pellets about the size of fertilizer. He started at one side and put about a tea spoon full of the stuff in each mound. When he got to the last one, the first one was Smoking! Smelled like burning hair and flesh! I begged for some but it was a No Go. I don't know what form it took to get it to market but that was some Mean stuff.
Click to expand...

When my dad was stationed at Ft Bliss back in the early 70s, his on post house had ground wasps really badly. He called some garrison phone number related to post housing and these two Boudreaux and Thibodeaux type guys show up. One has a shovel and one has a little canister in his hand. Dad points out the ground wasp hole and the shovel man drives the spade way down, pulls up the earth, canister man slings the canister in and shovel man drops the dirt back where it came from and they back up a few feet. After a few seconds, a mild *whump* underground is heard and the soil starts smoking.

Canister man looks at Dad and says “Cyanide...gets them every time”. And they loaded up and left
 
Schattenreiter said:
Here's how ya do it.


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Climberman said:
I want to know what he put in the ground to blow up like that. Was that just gas?
Click to expand...
Jp8819 said:
Don’t know but he shouldn’t have to aerate before seeding now.

He must have used a good amount if thats what it was and the fumes had time to travel the tunnels for that kind of reaction.
Click to expand...
Saw the video yesterday, but finally ran across the article today. Evidently it was methane buildup from the critters and a cup of gasoline.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...est-blows-lawn-instead.html?ito=rss-flipboard
 
Flying ants swarmed my porch the other day. They typically do after a big rain followed by warm sunny tday this time of year (or Spring). Yes it was flying ants not termites. I don't think termites would swarm now anyway.

They were just pouring out of a hole in the ground like smoke. I sprayed and killed all of them then poured the rest of my container into the hole. Been quite now for awhile lol.

Not sure why the videos of guys using gasoline has them all lighting it haha. The gas itself melts them / no need to light anything. Funny stuff-
 
svtf150 said:
Pulled this thread out of the cellar so as not to start another one on the same topic.

Danged things have been relentless this year. I've tried the powder, the granules, hot water, nothing seems to knock em out and keep em out. Mounds everywhere, again and again. I'm beginning to think they are everywhere underground, all the time. And they mound up just to get outa the wet ground.
Today I go outside and this is what I find.View attachment 162296
Bad enough to have em at all and now they wanna move in the house with me?
Oh no hell no, ain't happening.
I'm bringing out the heavy artillery, or so I am told. My bro hooked me up with this stuff. He says it's the shiznit in his neck of the woods. (Wayne county)View attachment 162297
I treated 22 mounds today and ran outa time. will be back at it tomorow.
My other concern is what about any ants that were up in the wall or wherever they were when I treated...I sprayed up under the siding but that will only get so far ya know.
Went under the house to see if I could find em but not a trace.
Really hoping this stuff works.
I asked him, "why haven't you turned me on to this already?" His reply, " you never asked."
Thanks bro. Preciate it.
Click to expand...

you can mix this strong like 1 oz to a gallon and spot spray and then mix it thinner to spray the whole yard.

this is also what they will spray around your base boards to prevent bugs staying in your house. They make a water base and a oil base now.

I use this as a spot spray because I don't have a big sprayer

the best that fire ant prevention that I used was Top Choice granular that was created at NCSU for athletic fields. I put out 2 bags in my yard as directed and didn't have fire ants for about 3 years, but I haven't been able to get it since.
 
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I believe fire ants and roaches are the only things that would survive a nuclear holocaust.
 
The little stinkers are trying to utilize some cover hahahahaha20191025_163445.jpg
 
I work in S High Point, we have a huge mound in our front landscaped area. I had no idea they'd made it this far north. Guess I'll be seeing them at the house soon. Need to dig out my napalm recipe.
 
Brian K said:
I work in S High Point, we have a huge mound in our front landscaped area. I had no idea they'd made it this far north. Guess I'll be seeing them at the house soon. Need to dig out my napalm recipe.
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!!! Man, my in-laws in MARYLAND (45 minutes west of Baltimore) had fire ants a decade ago, when I was doing some yard work for them. Check it out here: https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/01glance/wildlife/insects/html/invasive.html#alphIF Fire ants are a recognized invasive species in MD.

Lord knows how much FURTHER north they are on a regular basis. I've heard of them being found in Canada.

Little bastards...
 
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RFMan said:
!!! Man, my in-laws in MARYLAND (45 minutes west of Baltimore) had fire ants a decade ago, when I was doing some yard work for them. Check it out here: https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/01glance/wildlife/insects/html/invasive.html#alphIF Fire ants are a recognized invasive species in MD.

Lord knows how much FURTHER north they are on a regular basis. I've heard of them being found in Canada.

Little bastards...
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Well, these idiots are in trouble. https://www.nuleaflawncare.com/montgomery-county-maryland-passes-pesticide-ban/

They're doing it because they believe the pesticides cause cancer in children, despite having no proof.
 
Brian K said:
I work in S High Point, we have a huge mound in our front landscaped area. I had no idea they'd made it this far north.
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They came into se corner of guiford county few years back on us and now this year they have really spread in our pastures. Was cutting strings on a round bale the other day and stupid things were in it.
 
Chdamn said:
Looks like fun. But useless if your don’t get the Queen.

My method is to poke the stick as far down as it’ll go into the center of the mound, pull it out and then pour a qt of gas into the hole. Let that soak in then light it on fire.
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X2
 
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