Killing Ants

[Rat Rod Mac]

The ants are getting out of hand on my place. I have one mound that is 4' x 3' x 20" high. What is the cheapest stuff you guys dump on them that works? Thanks RRM

 

[Willl]

Need a little more info.

Your approx location and what kind of ant ?

 

[Bird]

My first choice was Diazinon, but since I can't get that anymore, I use Malathion. I usually find the fire ant mounds when they're small and mix up a gallon of insecticide to pour slowly on the mound to give it time to run down inside through their tunnels. For one the size you're talking about, I'd probably use about 5 gallons, mixed at about 2 oz. of Ortho Malathion Plus per gallon of water. Home Depot has the Malathion Plus and Walmart usually has it a dollar a quart cheaper.

 

[slowrev]

From the size of the mound, probably fire ants. You can fight em back but it does not seem to last long. I think they have little ant subways under the ground and the suvivors just evacuate for a while and then move back when the poison wears off...

Just keep poisioning the mounds as Bird says every couple of months...
There are other products out there, but none seem to work for any length of time.

 

[heehaw]

i was reading the directions on some insecticide i got from the farmers supply: yeah i know, who reads directions! anyway, it brought up a good point: basicly it says apply the insecticide in a way that will not distrub the ants, or they will just move and you haven't accomplished anything. i can't spell the active ingredient (par-rith-eons?) or anything else for that matter, but you get a quart of the stuff for about $16 and it mixes an ounce per 3 gallons for some types of ants: i didn't notice the ratio for those mean ones.
heehaw
heehaw

 

[Soundguy]

if there's no rain in site.. I like the dusts like permethrin.. though 'sevin' also works.. I put a ring of it around the hole, and they track it in and out every time an ant comes and goes. this usually kills that hole in a day or so...

Soundguy

 

[dmccarty]

I have used Amdro to get rid of fireants. It took two applications but I suspect the first one did the job. I spread the Amdro per the instructions around the nest and the ants took it inside. The nest was right where we park so it had to go.

I have seen a few other nests on our land and I'm sure there are more. There have been some who have said that they don't have ticks anymore and that they think the fireants have gotten to them. I'll take fireants over ticks and chiggers. At least the fireants I can see for the most part....

Later,
Dan

 

[Highbeam]

I used the baits like Amdro(I think that's the name) with zero success. I even tolerated the ants for the 4 weeks since the directions tell you that it may take time for the bait to kill the nest. These were carpenter ants and showed no interest in baits. The little metal cans with a hole nor the granular.

I used to love diazinon and still have a few jugs of it just in case I need to get serious. I also used a lot of granular diazinon but that is also no longer sold. For these ants I had to go and buy the replacement which was an insecticide granular mix in a bag. Once around the house with a whirlybird and no more ants the very next day.

They haven't been back for a couple of weeks now.

 

[Bird]

Texas A&M has always recommended a two step program for fire ants. The first step is to broadcast a bait once or twice a year. I believe Amdro is the oldest, best known, and most available, although I used Logic from an ag chemical place. It was a yellow cornmeal impregnated with the poison and it was spread at the rate of one pound per acre. It does take several days, if not a week or more, for baits to work. The second step is a drench, as I mentioned; a liquid poured very slowly on the mound to disturb it as little as possible and let it run down into the tunnels.

 

[heehaw]

i spray around the house regularly, and it still hasn't got rid of the ants completely: i tried several bags of granules, several different brands and active ingredients: with absolutely no luck at all: yesterday i had ants all over the front porch: so i sprayed all around the house again: its only been a little over a week since i sprayed last: but we did have a pretty good rain last friday? i bought 2 quarts of the permeathins last week and plan on keeping up the battle: the bad thing with the carpenter ants: if they get behind your siding, i don't think they ever need to come back to the ground: i have board and bat siding, and i know they are behind it, i am just trying to figure out how to get to them with the least amount of damage to the house.
heehaw