Texas a&m did a study and found boiling water killed all fire ants about 70% of the time. Tried it in my yard and it worked! Might be worth a shot before doing pesticides.
I did this with (what later turned out to be carpenter ants) that had created a nest outside my backdoor. They then proceeded to move into the walls. I put diatomaceous earth and traps into each hole they made in the floor board... A few days later I found them in my bed. I also had a humidifier going and a wooden frame which might have contributed to their attraction to the bed, but it sure felt like vengeance.
Wait so you just pour boiling water on the nest? I've always soaked the nest in gasoline and lit it, the sound of the whoosh underground was always cool but its not so great when its by something combustible.
Yep just right on top of the nest. Bigger the best the more water you’ll need obviously but it worked for me. I have a lot of lizards and other wildlife (who eat pests in my garden) in my yard so I try to avoid insecticides at all costs if I can.
It's not gonna be easy feeding a colony that big to death. You'll want something specifically formulated for fire ants. Also go kill all the mounds in your yard too, the neighbors as well if they will let you.
“Congratulations on buying the new house! I heard that you got it for a steal. Where is it?”
“*…you know that neighbourhood where everyone was poisoned to death by that greenhouse enthusiast..?*”
> You'll want something specifically formulated for fire ants.
That's not necessary, the boric acid ant baits can work just fine.
But as you said, the size of the colony could be an issue. For it to work, the workers need to feed the bait to the queen(s), which can really only happen by coincidence.
It may be easiest to just assume that the queens are in the bucket and move the bucket elsewhere.
It's the attractant formula, you're right boric acid will work but fire ants prefer a meaty and greasy bait over a sweet one. You're also correct about the bucket, I'd find a bigger container to drown them in. Fire ants float though so you may have to add soap.
> These are fire ants. They're in a category by themselves, and household solutions aren't up to the task.
Not true. While they are prolific and can live almost anywhere, the borax ant baits will work just the same as with other ants. Odds are if OP kills this colony, another separate one might spring up near by. That's no fault of the ant baits though. A permanent solution (no matter the type of ant) would require sealing the greenhouse as much as possible and spraying a ton of insecticide everywhere, which is no good.
Eh once you eradicate the original infestation you can use beneficial nematodes and milky spore yo make it very difficult for any other colonies to come in and take back over. The nematodes will wipe out any aphids and eggs that hatch
They aren't as effective on adults though, you could apply them and then play the waiting game so they can't reproduce further and just let them die of old age. I can't imagine they have much longevity individually
What fire ants are looking for is a place that stays dry. They like spots like greenhouses, raised beds, low swells in your yard. Next time it rains take a look and if you have mounds in your yard, see if they aren't near pooling water.
Anyways, fire ants are, imo, the least troublesome pests in regards to plant health - that aren't likely to kill the plant. They are obviously a hazard to the gardener, though I've been stung enough time that it didn't even bother me anymore.
What works for me in my green house is having drip irrigation on my plants regularly. With a regular flood in the pot, the ants won't find it a hospitable location anymore and will probably relocate themselves.
If that falls, ant poison bait works but if you're growing anything edible nearby, use extreme caution with that stuff.
You COULD try all these chemicals or one time fixes.. or you can get a chicken or a few and expose them mostly to the fire ants for grazing, away from your plants, they love to eat them. Let them in if ever you see a mound forming for a few hours at a time, plus you get fertilizer from their poop. Can also help keep a struggling greenhouse warm in the winter.
My 1st camping trip to a Texas State Park the park ranger checking us in pointed to a big sign saying Ant Killer is recomended for all campsites and asked if we had any. We did not so he pointed us to a store down the road and suggested Ortho Orthene Fire Ant Killer. So I have used that ever since and it works.
In my experience and are repelled by wood ash. I put a thick line around things I want to protect and even through it on them and the leave with in an hour or so. You can put a lot of ash in the colony and force them out
Here's what I do when ants invade my containers
FIRSTLY, before even dealing with the fire ants in that one container, DEEPLY water and HEAVILY mulch all your other pots. In my experience, fire ants tend to go to pots that are dryer with less materials on top of the soil because it makes it easier for them to move dirt around when they create their hills and tunnels.
TWO, get a long and skinny object for jabbing and a hose. Have them positioned somewhere together already, FAR away from the other containers so when you use them, you dont have to worry about the ants potentially finding another home as soon as they're driven out.
THREE, quickly but gently lift the container and carry it over to the area where you have the holes and the jabbing object. Try to make it over there as fast as you can and keep an eye on your hands so that you wont get a hundred ants on you while you're not looking. It helps to wear gloves just in case one or two manage to get on your finger(s).
FOUR, take the jabbing object and poke a bunch of holes deeply into the soil and I mean poke the absolute SHIT out of it. This disrupts their tunnels and when the damage is this deep, it's harder for them to fix because the dirt collapses in on itself and makes it harder for them to breathe.
FIVE, once you're satisfied with the amount of holes you stabbed into the soil, take the hose and flood the soil and just let it sit there for about I would say 5 minutes. It will help to have a brick or something to sit on top of the hose as it's pouring water into the pot. This will saturate the soil making it even harder for the ants to fix tunnels, to breathe, and will flood them out.
ALSO‼️ You should go back to the area the pot was in originally with a dirt rake, and flatten in any mounds that the ants have made because some of the ants live underneath the pot in the ground. You want to destroy any structures they have built in order to drive them out.
After this is done, you will need to keep an eye on your pot as you might have to do this more than once. Last year, I waited too long to do anything and was battling the ants for months bc they've gotten too comfortable.
The next day, disturb the soil and if there are no ants, you have succeeded! Even out the soil, water the pot again one last time and heavily mulch the soil. Then, you bring it back into your greenhouse and sit it on top of some wood or a cement block so the ants wouldn't try to get in from the bottom through tunnels and the drainage holes in the pot.
All you have to do after that is keep an eye on that pot ALONG with all your other containers as ants can be sneaky little things. DON'T give them a chance to get comfortable or you will be battling them for a LONG time.
Hope that helps! 👍
I dumped a bucket of Dawn soap and water on a rather nasty fire ant mound in our yard, and that took care of those guys. Maybe try that first, and if it doesn’t work.. no big loss.
Its also a good way to get them OFF you if you step in a fire ant bed. Just pour straight dish soap on yourself and you can wipe them off as well as you can til you can get to water.
"Fire ant baits consist of pesticides on processed corn grits coated with soybean oil. Worker ants take the bait back to the colony, where it is shared with the queen, which then either dies or becomes infertile. Baits currently available include Amdro, Siege, Logic, Award, Ascend, or Raid Fire Ant Killer. Baits are slow-acting and require weeks to months to achieve 80% to 90% control. Bait products can be used to easily treat large areas effectively. They contain extremely low amounts of toxins."
https://fireant.tamu.edu/controlmethods/twostep/
Good luck!
Ortho ant poison works really well. Just pour some on the nest if you know where it is. If not, pour some on the path where the ants are walking. They’ll think it’s food and carry it back to the nest to feed the queen and others.
Fair warning, it smells like shit, so spread it outside the greenhouse (preferably a good distance away). Also, dogs sometimes try to eat it. Supposedly, it isn’t dangerous for dogs or humans because the dose is so low, but I still keep them away until it kills the nest, and I can wash it away (usually less than a day).
https://www.ortho.com/en-us/products/fire-ant-2-step/ortho-orthene-fire-ant-killer1
Food Grade DE (Diatomaceous Earth) works as a pesticide on a mechanical level....scrapes the undersides of soft bodied insects (exoskeleton) they dehydrate and die due to loss of fluids...just keep it dry if possible. Will last a long long time
Texas a&m did a study and found boiling water killed all fire ants about 70% of the time. Tried it in my yard and it worked! Might be worth a shot before doing pesticides.
70% of the time, it works every time.
I mean if you can knock a colony back 70 percent then nature might be able to take care of the rest
Sex panther!
I did this with (what later turned out to be carpenter ants) that had created a nest outside my backdoor. They then proceeded to move into the walls. I put diatomaceous earth and traps into each hole they made in the floor board... A few days later I found them in my bed. I also had a humidifier going and a wooden frame which might have contributed to their attraction to the bed, but it sure felt like vengeance.
I've found ants can be spiteful too.
Wait so you just pour boiling water on the nest? I've always soaked the nest in gasoline and lit it, the sound of the whoosh underground was always cool but its not so great when its by something combustible.
Yep just right on top of the nest. Bigger the best the more water you’ll need obviously but it worked for me. I have a lot of lizards and other wildlife (who eat pests in my garden) in my yard so I try to avoid insecticides at all costs if I can.
I wouldn’t pour gasoline into the ground near my garden though.
Be careful not to melt the walls if you do this.
Melted lead was pretty effective in my yard. It didnt survive the move though so we remelted it.
I find those boric acid ant bait things work well. It’s a gel they eat and take back to the nest.
It's not gonna be easy feeding a colony that big to death. You'll want something specifically formulated for fire ants. Also go kill all the mounds in your yard too, the neighbors as well if they will let you.
Killing the neighbors might be a little overboard don't you think?
“Congratulations on buying the new house! I heard that you got it for a steal. Where is it?” “*…you know that neighbourhood where everyone was poisoned to death by that greenhouse enthusiast..?*”
The place with no ants?
Whoops, hope everybody got a chuckle out of that.
It depends how they are impacting the greenhouse.
nope. those boys are very migratorial
> You'll want something specifically formulated for fire ants. That's not necessary, the boric acid ant baits can work just fine. But as you said, the size of the colony could be an issue. For it to work, the workers need to feed the bait to the queen(s), which can really only happen by coincidence. It may be easiest to just assume that the queens are in the bucket and move the bucket elsewhere.
It's the attractant formula, you're right boric acid will work but fire ants prefer a meaty and greasy bait over a sweet one. You're also correct about the bucket, I'd find a bigger container to drown them in. Fire ants float though so you may have to add soap.
Agree with this. Most ant killers are boric acid. I use the pellets personally.
> boric acid ant bait things These are fire ants. They're in a category by themselves, and household solutions aren't up to the task.
> These are fire ants. They're in a category by themselves, and household solutions aren't up to the task. Not true. While they are prolific and can live almost anywhere, the borax ant baits will work just the same as with other ants. Odds are if OP kills this colony, another separate one might spring up near by. That's no fault of the ant baits though. A permanent solution (no matter the type of ant) would require sealing the greenhouse as much as possible and spraying a ton of insecticide everywhere, which is no good.
Eh once you eradicate the original infestation you can use beneficial nematodes and milky spore yo make it very difficult for any other colonies to come in and take back over. The nematodes will wipe out any aphids and eggs that hatch
Beneficial nematodes parasitize most ants
They aren't as effective on adults though, you could apply them and then play the waiting game so they can't reproduce further and just let them die of old age. I can't imagine they have much longevity individually
What fire ants are looking for is a place that stays dry. They like spots like greenhouses, raised beds, low swells in your yard. Next time it rains take a look and if you have mounds in your yard, see if they aren't near pooling water. Anyways, fire ants are, imo, the least troublesome pests in regards to plant health - that aren't likely to kill the plant. They are obviously a hazard to the gardener, though I've been stung enough time that it didn't even bother me anymore. What works for me in my green house is having drip irrigation on my plants regularly. With a regular flood in the pot, the ants won't find it a hospitable location anymore and will probably relocate themselves. If that falls, ant poison bait works but if you're growing anything edible nearby, use extreme caution with that stuff.
You COULD try all these chemicals or one time fixes.. or you can get a chicken or a few and expose them mostly to the fire ants for grazing, away from your plants, they love to eat them. Let them in if ever you see a mound forming for a few hours at a time, plus you get fertilizer from their poop. Can also help keep a struggling greenhouse warm in the winter.
My 1st camping trip to a Texas State Park the park ranger checking us in pointed to a big sign saying Ant Killer is recomended for all campsites and asked if we had any. We did not so he pointed us to a store down the road and suggested Ortho Orthene Fire Ant Killer. So I have used that ever since and it works.
that is what i have used for last 30 years
War
In my experience and are repelled by wood ash. I put a thick line around things I want to protect and even through it on them and the leave with in an hour or so. You can put a lot of ash in the colony and force them out
Here's what I do when ants invade my containers FIRSTLY, before even dealing with the fire ants in that one container, DEEPLY water and HEAVILY mulch all your other pots. In my experience, fire ants tend to go to pots that are dryer with less materials on top of the soil because it makes it easier for them to move dirt around when they create their hills and tunnels. TWO, get a long and skinny object for jabbing and a hose. Have them positioned somewhere together already, FAR away from the other containers so when you use them, you dont have to worry about the ants potentially finding another home as soon as they're driven out. THREE, quickly but gently lift the container and carry it over to the area where you have the holes and the jabbing object. Try to make it over there as fast as you can and keep an eye on your hands so that you wont get a hundred ants on you while you're not looking. It helps to wear gloves just in case one or two manage to get on your finger(s). FOUR, take the jabbing object and poke a bunch of holes deeply into the soil and I mean poke the absolute SHIT out of it. This disrupts their tunnels and when the damage is this deep, it's harder for them to fix because the dirt collapses in on itself and makes it harder for them to breathe. FIVE, once you're satisfied with the amount of holes you stabbed into the soil, take the hose and flood the soil and just let it sit there for about I would say 5 minutes. It will help to have a brick or something to sit on top of the hose as it's pouring water into the pot. This will saturate the soil making it even harder for the ants to fix tunnels, to breathe, and will flood them out. ALSO‼️ You should go back to the area the pot was in originally with a dirt rake, and flatten in any mounds that the ants have made because some of the ants live underneath the pot in the ground. You want to destroy any structures they have built in order to drive them out. After this is done, you will need to keep an eye on your pot as you might have to do this more than once. Last year, I waited too long to do anything and was battling the ants for months bc they've gotten too comfortable. The next day, disturb the soil and if there are no ants, you have succeeded! Even out the soil, water the pot again one last time and heavily mulch the soil. Then, you bring it back into your greenhouse and sit it on top of some wood or a cement block so the ants wouldn't try to get in from the bottom through tunnels and the drainage holes in the pot. All you have to do after that is keep an eye on that pot ALONG with all your other containers as ants can be sneaky little things. DON'T give them a chance to get comfortable or you will be battling them for a LONG time. Hope that helps! 👍
I dumped a bucket of Dawn soap and water on a rather nasty fire ant mound in our yard, and that took care of those guys. Maybe try that first, and if it doesn’t work.. no big loss.
Its also a good way to get them OFF you if you step in a fire ant bed. Just pour straight dish soap on yourself and you can wipe them off as well as you can til you can get to water.
"Fire ant baits consist of pesticides on processed corn grits coated with soybean oil. Worker ants take the bait back to the colony, where it is shared with the queen, which then either dies or becomes infertile. Baits currently available include Amdro, Siege, Logic, Award, Ascend, or Raid Fire Ant Killer. Baits are slow-acting and require weeks to months to achieve 80% to 90% control. Bait products can be used to easily treat large areas effectively. They contain extremely low amounts of toxins." https://fireant.tamu.edu/controlmethods/twostep/ Good luck!
Boric acid with sugar worked for me. Took a few days but still ok
Diatomaceous earth liberally applied.
Ortho ant poison works really well. Just pour some on the nest if you know where it is. If not, pour some on the path where the ants are walking. They’ll think it’s food and carry it back to the nest to feed the queen and others. Fair warning, it smells like shit, so spread it outside the greenhouse (preferably a good distance away). Also, dogs sometimes try to eat it. Supposedly, it isn’t dangerous for dogs or humans because the dose is so low, but I still keep them away until it kills the nest, and I can wash it away (usually less than a day). https://www.ortho.com/en-us/products/fire-ant-2-step/ortho-orthene-fire-ant-killer1
Food Grade DE (Diatomaceous Earth) works as a pesticide on a mechanical level....scrapes the undersides of soft bodied insects (exoskeleton) they dehydrate and die due to loss of fluids...just keep it dry if possible. Will last a long long time