Rockbadchild
Elite Member
poor gas on the nest but don’t light it up the fumes will kill them
Help !!! Fire Ants !!!
- Thread starter bmg88201
- Start date
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workinonit
Elite Member
I spray 3/10 oz per acre of Regent. I spray about 10 acres and haven't seen a fire ant on the whole place in 12 years. If I spray a 1/2 oz i can skip a year maybe 2.
Since they can't take the cold I tried digging into a mound when it was freezing temps to see if that would kill them.
Didn't work, the mound like is concrete. I might try it again now that I have a stump bucket for the tractor.
I would love to freeze them to death as payback.
Didn't work, the mound like is concrete. I might try it again now that I have a stump bucket for the tractor.
I would love to freeze them to death as payback.
jyoutz
Super Member
Pour a 50/50 mix of diesel and gas down the mound, then light it. The oily diesel keeps the fuel from flashing up all at once, then burning out fast. The mix will burn slower and for a longer period of time. And it will just burn, not explosively flash up when you light it, so it’s much safer to use.
Rockbadchild
Elite Member
yes i have done that but it seem like not light it up at all works even better … the fire is superficial above the nest surface since it need oxygen to burn … burning pulls the fume away … not burning it keeps the fumes in longer
jyoutz
Super Member
I don’t have them either at my 6800’ elevation. But I have used the same technique to get rid of native ants making mounds near buildings.
Rockbadchild
Elite Member
I don't know if we do, probably not, we do have red ants that bites whether or not they are part of the genus Solenopsis I don't know but probably not... but fire ants or not, none are immune to gas fumes...
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EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
From what I understand about fire ants, you have to kill the queen to destroy the colony. Just killing a bunch of ants accomplishes nothing. Same thing with termites.
I personally like Orthene from the box stores. https://www.lowes.com/pd/ORTHO-Orthene-12-oz-Fire-Ant-Killer/5013597781
It's a very fine white powder that you just barely sprinkle on the mound. They say the best time is early morning or late evening, when the ants are most active. But it really doesn't seem to matter when you do it, the mound is always dead the next day. The biggest issue with Orthene is the smell. It's horrible!!!!
Usually I do my walk through the yard the day after I mow it. I just deal with areas that I keep mowed. When I see a mound forming, I sprinkle a little Orthene it and it's done. The bright white color of the powder makes it easy to see what mounds I've treated and what mounds are new. Usually in the Spring, there are a lot of them, but by Summer, there will only be a few of them. By the end of Summer, it's rare to see any new mounds.
My wife is finishing up the Master Gardener program with Texas A&M, and they recommend sprinkling Diatomaceous Earth on the mounds. I haven't done that yet, but plan on giving it a try in the Spring when the mounds start to show up.
When I've been bit by fire ants, I've found that for me, Hand Sanitizer works great. I think the alcohol dries out the bite, and that stops the inflammation. I used it during Covid because that's all I had at the time, and I was surprised by the results.
I personally like Orthene from the box stores. https://www.lowes.com/pd/ORTHO-Orthene-12-oz-Fire-Ant-Killer/5013597781
It's a very fine white powder that you just barely sprinkle on the mound. They say the best time is early morning or late evening, when the ants are most active. But it really doesn't seem to matter when you do it, the mound is always dead the next day. The biggest issue with Orthene is the smell. It's horrible!!!!
Usually I do my walk through the yard the day after I mow it. I just deal with areas that I keep mowed. When I see a mound forming, I sprinkle a little Orthene it and it's done. The bright white color of the powder makes it easy to see what mounds I've treated and what mounds are new. Usually in the Spring, there are a lot of them, but by Summer, there will only be a few of them. By the end of Summer, it's rare to see any new mounds.
My wife is finishing up the Master Gardener program with Texas A&M, and they recommend sprinkling Diatomaceous Earth on the mounds. I haven't done that yet, but plan on giving it a try in the Spring when the mounds start to show up.
When I've been bit by fire ants, I've found that for me, Hand Sanitizer works great. I think the alcohol dries out the bite, and that stops the inflammation. I used it during Covid because that's all I had at the time, and I was surprised by the results.