Red Ants

Is anyone having problems with these ants? They are about a centimeter long and I am finding them around my kitchen. My husband bought killer but we don't know where to put it. It is a granular form for outside. I am used to the sugar ants I see daily....those don't bother me anymore. But these ants are larger and are bugging me. Do they have a hill? Or do they live underground? Should we just sprinkle everywhere? We can't seem to pinpoint where they are coming in. Any help would be appreciated!

Lisa

Hi Lisa,

When we lived in Massachusetts we would get little ants every spring and fall. Since I don't like to use chemicals, we would get little ant traps and put them under the counters in the kitchen. They worked well. Hope this helps. Karen

I have tried the traps and they don't seem to work for these guys. The liquid poison works great on the sugar ants but these guys are just not into it............

I will keep looking for a solution!

Lisa

Ipakosh,

By the size and color, those may be carpenter ants. We get them here in the Tampa area , and once or twice a year they head indoors. They eat wood products, and can be treated with sprays like Spectracide Terminate, which is also for termites. We spray around the outside of the house, and any wooded door or window frames. We never spray inside because of our cats, but it can be sprayed around windows and other access areas, especially wood. The spray is very toxic. They don't seem to stay long if they do make it inside. We also clear out our palm fronds, as they seem to love to nest in old untrimmed palms. Good luck with them.

I was just doing some yard work, put my hand on the ground, and it came up covered with fire ants. I HATE THOSE %(^!%#@* THINGS! My hand is still stinging from the bites. Whenever I treat a colony, they just build another one a few feet away.

I'm near Tampa too. We have a guy come once every three months. He sprays around the perimiter of the house, and that's enough to keep them out.

We did have a colony of small black ants living in the walls, a couple of months ago. He sprayed up against the baseboards, and we never saw them again. The few that were out in the open died right where they stood. I don't know what he used, but it was very good stuff.

He's not very expensive, and the money is well worth it. He keeps our house ant-free.

Steve

Hmm. A quick google search revealed the following:

http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/fire.htm

http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/fire.htm

Good luck.

Thanks for the info DZ.
When I accidentally pot my sandled foot in a mound, Yikes, I get all of the little stingers off, get some cotton swabs and Clorox. I then swab every bite with pure Corox and they are over.
Also works for Bee sting.
Sidney

I was just reading an article in today's local paper on fire ants. It said that unless the whole neighborhood treated for them at the same time, you couldn't get rid of them. Apparently the little suckers are very organized. For example, it said that they send out just enough workers to bring a piece of food in. If it is a smaller piece they send out fewer ants to get it. If you kick their mound, a whole group will swarm, and at the same time, another group will move the "babies". I found the article very interesting. Almost interesting enough to let the little pests stay (not!). Karen

That makes sense, Karen. Nothing kills fireants. You just chase them from one spot to another.

i have found that Amdro works pretty good on them. It also works for those black ants and other types too. When I get some in the house, I will put some granules in their path and next day they are gone. As for the fire ants, I know when a neighbor treats their yard because they decide to mound in mine. However, they stay out of my yard most of the time.

I do *love* nothing more than pulling on a weed and then having my hand and the weed covered in angry fire ants. Such joy!

Florida9, I think you're correct....there are some here too, that are more like carpenter ants....we get a straggler every now and then, several times a year. They say when it gets very dry, they come inside looking for moisture (theyre usually outside in the mulch and under timbers...and when it gets too wet, they move to higher ground too. So they mostly stay outside, until "that time of year" when a couple wander in....
(My cats take care of those few violators....)
MerryMary

Merry, do they bite your cats? I have a VERY inquisitive kitten that follows them around and plays with them. The last thing I want is for him to get a bad bite.

Lisa

Here is a pic of the little studmuffin.

No, they don't bite them....they run for their lives while they still have all their legs...the kitties think they are great fun until they stop wiggling. No pesticides needed. ;)

Lisa, that looks like a cat with character.

Oh he definitely has character........he is my little lazy lovebug.............I love him sooooo much!

the carpenter ants don't actually eat wood. they are attracted to wood that has rotted from moisture or termites and then they can tunnel into it. they can't and won't eat good wood. a 50/50 mix of ivory detergent and water will kill them on contact but won't kill the nest where they are out of sight. be careful with amdro as pets are attracted to the sweet taste, much like anti-freeze, that's why i don't use it. spectracide is good and drys fast. one last thing, for fireant bites you can't beat straight vinegar. it kills the pain instantly and prevents the little blisters from forming. of course, you smell bad the rest of the day. LOL edited to say that i didn't want to sound like a know it all ant expert, i'm not! LOL again. debi

This message was edited Dec 11, 2005 10:17 AM

A couple of things on ants. When treating them with chemical, be sure you leave a spot near the area you see them, for them to exit your house or you could trap them inside your house with the chemicals, by preventing them from having an exit.

A lot of negative stuff is being said about grass with it's upkeep, fertilizer, water usage, etc. That being said, a good lawn that's mowed using a mulching mower will prevent fire ants from acting up and help keep them in check. They will still be there, but in smaller numbers and you will almost never see another mound as long as the grass is kept up.

Both of these tips provided by personal experiences with ants.

Art

Debi, I tried Spectracide this past weekend on some mounds, and it works. When I checked the spots the next day, there was no sign of ants, nor did they move a few feet over. My lawn isn't in good shape, so I have a lot of problems with ants.

fireant, hey, good to talk to you again. we have been so busy moving i haven't had a chance to be on dg much. it won't be long now tho. my lawn too is pretty bad. what artcons said is true. the more mowing and disturbance the better. the fireants don't like that at all. the spectracide is good. i hate using chemicals but in the case of ants you just have to. somebody told me borax would work. i sprinkled that all over. i didn't see much difference. when carpenter ants got all over my ixoras in the keys (i had aphids and scale and the ants were tending them) i tried the ivory and water. man, it was fun. the ants really do die instantly. just a little perverse gardening pleasure!!!

You moved? Are you still in Umatilla?

A pest control company said the Groveland area seemed to have a worse fireant problem then other areas. My subdivision was a former orange grove, and I always wondered if that contributed to the problem. I am sticking with the Spetracide and working on improving the lawn.
Nancy

nancy, still in umatilla! we are moving next door. doesn't sound like much work, but it has been. the new house needed a total redo. been working on it for the past 8 mos. but only decided to live there 2 mos. ago. sounds crazy! i will have a much bigger yard and i cannot wait to garden again. poor plants are all sitting here in pots shivering from the cold. our place was an orange grove too! we still have about 20 trees on the front lawn. they are pretty sad but the fruit is good. most of it falls off and rots, what a waste. i wish we could have someone come and pick it all. debi

Moving from one house to the house next door--you sound like a fireant! At least in Florida we can pretty much garden any time. I hope you enjoy your new home.

LOL
;)

hmmmm. i guess i could be fireant2, nancy!