Posted: 8/26/2006 3:46:48 PM EDT
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Anyone got any good methods for completely eradicating these damned things? I have found a rather large colony of them not 2 feet from my front door. They are in a shrub bed I was digging up today to get some weeds out, only to find that it looks like the colony goes down into the ground adjacent to the slab the building is on. I dug up as many as I could and sprayed and powdered everything. I dug up what I thought was most of the little white eggs, but was never able to find the queen. I used hotshot ant/roach/spider spray to kill the ones I was digging up, then came back and dusted the whole area with ant/roach dust. I started my digging to get the weeds out, and have 6 bags of pine mulch to put back down, but I now I'm not sure about doing that until I know I have wiped out the complete colony. The really cool thing was that I was wearing sandals/shorts when I discovered them 
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I bought the Ortho stuff at Home Depot and used the spreader to cover the yard. It has worked great. I have been fire ant free for easily 4 months. You can get it and spread the small pellets/powdery stuff around, but cover a pretty good area around it, because they usually have them another location nearby ready to go. ETA: I wasn't crazy about the $20 price tag, but it covered my 1/2 acre and an 80 yard stretch where we go to fish in the neighborhood pond. |
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When I got 'em, I'd buy the pellets at Home Depot. That usually killed 'em or at least made 'em move over to the neighbors yard. I had a termite guy tell me once that if I ever found a fire ant colony next to my house, that it meant I had termites. He said fire ants eat termites. Don't know if there's any truth in it. If you have a termite contract with somebody, you might have 'em come out and take a look around. I have a Mom and Pop bug company that comes out and sprays twice a year. They put some pellets around my house. I can't remember the last time I had fire ants in my yard. |
When I was down there about 5 years ago, we would get the little buggers a lot. I found the best way of erradicating them to be Spectracide Diazinon granules. Came in a red bag at that time. I'm not sure if diazinon is still available anywhere. I know it's not here in VA. If you can find it, you sprinkle it on and water it in. Killed a whole colony in 1 treatment the last time I used it. I might have put it on a little heavier than the bag says.  Be careful if you use it on zoysia (sp) it can burn the grass if you use too much. MJD
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I was told this today. ETA: Apparently, further manufacture of Diazinon was restricted by the EPA, but existing stock was allowed to stay on the shelves. I have obtained a 50lb. bag from a friend who has had it awhile. I am going to try either that or the Ortho stuff you guys have recommended. It's not so much that the ants are in my shrub bed, but the fact that everytime I leave a soda or sweet tea or anything with sugar on my living room table, they somehow get in the front door and infest my living room going after the sugar. Thanks for the advice folks. |
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If they are coming in the house,then you may have more than the one nest. Are they red fire ants,or the little dark colored sugar ants,aka pi$$ ants(I am battling them right now). I did try some "Grants Kills Ants" .They are little silver platic sticks with a bait on them,and they do seem to be working. Most of the places I put them that was covered in ants seem to be ant free after a few days.But I have too many places to put all of them,so I spread something else this evening. Good luck with it! |
Those are fire ants for sure then. The little sugfar ants do bite,but about 20 of them equals one fire ant bite.They aren't aggressive unless you lay down in a bed of them,knock them off a tree branch etc. They are still very annoying when you are a sleeping and one wants to taste you to see if you are good food though. I'm slowly winning this battle,but I wish I could use the spray everywhere and nuke em.But I don't want to breath and clean up after a bug bomb,so I'll just keep skirmishing with them until I win. |
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