Dealing with Fire Ants

StudentoReptile · 05-08-12, 09:56 AM

I apparently have a fire infestation. Luckily, it hasn't reached the house, but I have at least two decent-sized anthills in the backyard, and little red mounds popping up all over everywhere else. With little Kobe (my sulcata tortoise) spending pretty much all of his time outside now, and getting ready to do some serious re-landscaping of the property, I need to nip this problem in the bud. After all, in years to come, I will be working toward a larger, more permanent pen for my sulcata, and more importantly, I have two little boys who will be running around outdoors before too long.

For those of you with experience, what are some effective methods you have dealing with fire ants?

youngster · 05-08-12, 10:03 AM

Torch 'em

StudentoReptile · 05-08-12, 10:06 AM

Okaaay...any realistic or serious suggestions?

youngster · 05-08-12, 10:07 AM

Hey come on, where do you think the phrase "fight fire with fire" comes from?

Just kidding, I won't pollute your thread anymore.

Gungirl · 05-08-12, 12:00 PM

Honestly torching them is a great way of dealing with them. I have used that method on a farm I used to work for. We didn't want chemicals around the barn but they had a horrid infestation of ants and small Beatles. So I made up a small "flame thrower" and took them all out. Worked great.

Bradyloach · 05-08-12, 12:15 PM

yeah thats what i would do torch the whole thing! then dump bleech or javex all over it! haha if its not anywere near your tortise pen you can put a bit of gas on it... but thats bad for the enviorment

StudentoReptile · 05-08-12, 12:56 PM

Yeah, I would like preserve the lawn if possible. Plus, it can get really dry around here if there's no recent rainfall, and I don't want to end up catching anything on fire I don't want burned, ya know.

Lankyrob · 05-08-12, 01:09 PM

We use Boiling water for ants nests over here - a nice kettle full should reach the centre of the nest and kill the queen then the rest should disperse

jarich · 05-08-12, 03:26 PM

Fire ants are tough to kill, and like Rob mentioned, you have to get to the queen. As you know already, SoR, they set up satellite mounds all over too. From what I have been told Splenda works pretty well. You want to make sure you are only killing the fire ants and not the indigenous ants, but if you ring the fire ant mounds in Splenda it will kill them.

Shmoges · 05-08-12, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by youngster

Torch 'em

Seriously take a little dish soap and gasoline and poor it down the ant hills then light it with a hotdog cooking stick and some paper on the end, a grill lighter will be too close. it will burn down in ther eand get em. Thats an old napalm recipe!!

jaleely · 05-08-12, 08:04 PM

When we had ants, my mom used to buy this form of ant killer that was a mix of sugar, water, and cyanide. This was in the 80's, so no surprise it was sold over the counter then.
Point is, i think they still make something similar to it...or you can try to make up your on brix (sugar and water) solution and do a poison of somesort in it..bleach or something. If you leave it in a container for them to carry into their nests it will save the lawn. I'd probably just pour it in the hole.

I absolutely HATE ants. Hate hate hate. lol like, phobia hate icky ew.

Shmoges · 05-08-12, 08:26 PM

Yeah I wouldn't spread cyanide on your lawn if you have a garden or you sell it to people who will have one.

jaleely · 05-08-12, 08:30 PM

Well it's a super small amount, and they carry it into their nest. But, frankly, i'd rather have a ruined lawn full of cyanide than ants!!! But, that's just me...LOL Seriously. BLAH!

**millertime89** · 05-08-12, 11:07 PM

splenda or boiling water is what has been recommended to me. Then hose down the base of the house with raid and keep all animals inside for 5 days (recommended less, but better safe than sorry). That's how my parents get rid of ants every spring.