Fire Ants!

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BlountArrow

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This problem just seems to be getting worse. Last year I had probably 3 big ant hills growing in my sweet potatoes...which requires a little more caution when digging potatoes as you might imagine. Didn't seem to bother the sweet potatoes any though. Regardless of all that, this year I just have fire ants popping up in various places all over the garden. My garden is roughly 150ft x 75ft and I bet I have 8 different locations where fire ants are starting or have established themselves. Do you guys have any idea on how I can safely combat these things? I'll say this too, I'm not a "certified" organic gardener but I don't use synthetic/chemical fertilizers and I've never used pesticides or herbicides so I'd rather not go that route to combat these ants either. So, what option does that leave me - ha? Thoughts?

Thanks in advance.
 
Being from South Alabama where this invasive species came into our Country (on the Banana Boats from South America) I can tell you simply, you are screwed.

I have never had any luck keeping them away without chemicals/poisons. Even then, you really don't kill them...you merely keep them away. You treat a mount, they move 2-3 feet, you treat that mound, they move 2-3 feet repeat until they are your neighbors problem. ...no I am not kidding. I bet I have tried 25 methods ranging from using grits to tampons soaked in various concoctions.

Water seems to work as well as anything. Flood a mound out, it moves 2-3 feet, .....(Repeat)
 
I got some stuff that you sprinkle on the hill dry, and leave it, they drag it into the mound and most die off, the rest move and the process starts all over again. Whatever you do, don't poison them and then stir the nest, they get pissed and don't eat the poison.
 
Ortho makes some super stinky stuff that kills em.

Thing is you have to do a bullseye pattern around the mound. Most have tunnels and several entrances leading out from the mound. Poison the mound and they just start a new one a couple feet away at an alternative entrance. If you ring the mound, you get the exit tunnels as well. I hate those little red devils.
 
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How ya'll doing with them. I usually have a hundred or more mounds but this year have very few. I think the abundant rains this spring and summer must have slowed them down or drowned a bunch out.
 
Molten aluminum makes a pretty thing after it cools and you dig it up. :D

I like the boiling water idea myself.
Luckily in NorthWest TN we don't have any.....or many......yet.
 
Diatomaceous Earth works very well and its non-toxic if you get the food grade. I always reapply if it rains but I've heard that even wet it does its job.
 
Fire ants are my nemesis. I discovered 2 years ago that I'm quite allergic to their bites and now I have to get allergy shots because of those buggers. Since becoming allergic to them they've bitten me while sitting on the beach, and in a 5th floor hotel room! Did I mention I hate them? Good luck getting rid of them.
 
This may sound stupid bit it works slowly. Get a shovel full of one mound and run to another mound and put on top. The two mounds will then fight to the death.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G870A using Tapatalk
 
A little dawn dish washing soap in a gallon of water will work just fine. Rake off the top of the mound and pour in slowly. If they get covered with soap, they will die. A nice ring of pure soap around the mound should get some trying to escape. Like any treatment, you might have to reapply.
 
Grew up in Miami and am very familiar with these vermin.

I remember reading there is NO permanent solution. You cannot kill them all. You can make them relocate and that is your best solution.

Be interesting if any of these treatments listed above work-the little murdering bastardos are killed- or do they just move.
 

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