Organic approach .... to fire ants???

I have an ant mound in the back yard.

Prefer not to put dihydrotetrazinathional-a-whatchamacallit on it, but rather attack it naturally.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

The boric acid ant baits are a safer alternative--I've never had fire ants though so I don't know if it would work on them or not.

You could try food grade diatomaceous earth. It is totally safe (it is used in grain to keep pests away so we actually eat it) and took care of my carpenter ant problem.

I just sprinkled it on the paths that they use and then where I saw that they had their nests. They walk through it and take it back to their nests to infect the others. It's best if you can get some on the ants. You can also sprinkle it around the perimeter of your home and they won't cross it. You can find it at Lowes. Look for it where they keep the organic stuff. Because they don't keep it with the regular pesticides. I think the brand is called Safer Garden.

You DO NOT want the stuff used for swimming pools it is not safe and won't work.

When you use the diatomaceous earth. Just sprinkle it on, you won't need a lot to do the job, which should also cut down on earthworm deaths, because it does kill earthworms. Also, don't use it on a windy day. The powder is a fine crystal and if you breath it it can mess up your lungs (much like talcum might). But I have used it without a problem and it worked after only three applications on the carpenter ants. What I like about it is that your dogs could eat it and it would be fine.


Here's a link about fire ants and DE


http://www.malcolmbeck.com/articles/diatomaceous-earth.htm

The quickest way to destroy a fire ant mound? Pour a kettle of boiling water into the central hole. You may need a second kettleful if the mound is exceptionally large. The inhabitants are destroyed and the mound collapses. Vegetation immediately surrounding the area may be harmed, but otherwise there are no residual dangers.

I just learned that the DE from Lowes may not be safe. You can get foodsafe DE online from various sources.

I use a product called green light it is a bait the primary ingrediant is spinosad which is omri approved there is another company that makes a similar product using the spinosad but I cant remember what it is called right now. I have found it to be highly effective. it comes in about a 1/2 gallon size container for about 15 dollars sometimes a little more. but 1 teaspoon per mound kills em dead as with all baits for fire ants you have to catch them in a feeding cycle (usualy when the temps are about 75-90 degrees) you can also put it in a lawn spreader diluted with saw dust or some other agent to dilute it with about 50-50 to catch those hard to find mounds. I just prefer to spot treat I dont like to spread any pesticide organic or not any more than I have to. Fire ants have been horrible this year with all the rain we have been getting after one particular bad spell of rain I counted 22 new mounds between mine and my neighbors yard about an acre and a half. The only good thing about fire ants is they eat all the ticks dont remember the last time i even saw one.

I lived in Florida and dealt with fire ants a lot. One thing that works is good powerful cinnamon. I sprinkled it right around one of their holes. They would not come out of that hole again until the rain thoroughly washed the cinnamon away. You can usually get cinnamon cheap from herb suppliers by the one-pound bag. This does not actually kill the fire ants, just convinces them to use other holes elsewhere so that you can garden around them.

The other technique I found that works really well is a good thick layer of newspaper covered with some kind of aromatic wood chips. I used cedar. They never came through this and so I was able to have a part of the yard where I could put a chaise lounge or lay out on a beach towel without being stung. This lasts a year and then you have to do it again.

I also found that after a few years of dealing with them, I got used to their bites so that it just felt like a pinch instead of like someone putting out a cigarette on my skin. I think this annoyed them most of all.:)

Well,

I boiled the @%$^ out of them with scaulding hot water ... two pots.

It did the trick, and I have no real issues, except that the soil they created the mound with was this texas clay, and now I have a big bald hard clay flat. I can dig that out and either re-seed grass or put a patch in, but it's my dog and kids that I was worried about more.

Thanks

What type of grass? If it's St. Augustine just spread some potting soil or compost over the area to a depth of about 1/2 inch and water it. The stolon runners will cover it in two weeks' time. Zoysia or bermuda might take a bit longer to fill in.

vinegar is the best that I have ever tried. They don't come back and it is environmentally safe. It also works great on weeds.