ants what to do

[38Chevy454]

Fire ants are the worst, had to deal with them when I lived in San Antonio. Kill all fire ant colonies, however you choose with chemicals or bait.

[Beldar]

We use the following weapons of mass destruction to combat the insects (some are rather persistent and deadly here in the desert). These work, period.

Demon WP Insecticide Insect Killer (available from Amazon or the DIY pest control sources). Small dissolvable packets you use with a pump-type sprayer. Lasts about 2 months.

Diatomaceous Earth (available at Home Depot, etc). Spread / mix with soil or apply in recesses. Kills anything with an exoskeleton.


I suspect the aliens will employ similar products once they arrive.

HTH.

_B

[harley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nash031 The problem with exterminators is that they're expensive and there's no guarantee they won't come back.

Usually if you stop paying them they won't come back.

[txtig]

The only kind of ant I ever have problems with are fire ants. And regardless of what any of the ant-hugger types here may say, the only good fire ant is a dead fire ant. If they claim stake to my yard, it's all out war. And, I'll use anything I need to (except that's mostly Amdro). I hate those little buggers. Get off my lawn!!!!

[daylatedollarshort]

Quote:

Originally Posted by txtig The only kind of ant I ever have problems with are fire ants. And regardless of what any of the ant-hugger types here may say, the only good fire ant is a dead fire ant. If they claim stake to my yard, it's all out war. And, I'll use anything I need to (except that's mostly Amdro). I hate those little buggers. Get off my lawn!!!!

I agree with you on killing fire ants in the yard. They are a menace and can kill local wildlife.

[Whisper66]

I landed face down in a fire ant bed when I was young. Not an experience I'd wish on others. Took several days for swelling to go away. In the meantime one eye swelled shut and 1/2 mouth didn't work too well due to swelling.


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[harley]

I'm probably as ant-huggy as anyone here, and I'm fine with killing fire ants. Especially in your yard. It's not like you'd be damaging a species population. I remember back when I was getting my bio degree one of my professors told me there were more ants in an acre of land than there were humans on the planet. I'm not positive he was right, but probably at least pretty close.

[AlbaCrush]

I use to get ants in my kitchen. The first time I used terro liquid, it freaked me out because hundreds of ants came inside to eat the liquid. I ended up spraying all of them with a spray. Someone at work recommended it and said that's how it works. I only use it outside.

[harley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlbaCrush I use to get ants in my kitchen. The first time I used terro liquid, it freaked me out because hundreds of ants came inside to eat the liquid. I ended up spraying all of them with a spray. Someone at work recommended it and said that's how it works. I only use it outside.

If you put the Terro at the point where the ants are coming in, they won't gather in your living area. It's usually a window or door or where a pipe or wire comes through the wall. You want to see hundreds of them eating the liquid, that's a good thing. In a few days after that, you won't see any of them. Muerto.

[nash031]

After my Field Guide to Winning the Long War with Argentine Ants, if anyone's interested in my Idiot's Guide to Brute-Force Removal of Running Bamboo (hint: a quality spade shovel, leather gardener's gloves, some plumbing skills if you have lawn sprinklers, and lots of Roundup), let me know. Also, I recommend canceling your gym membership for a month and saving some dough.

If there's two things in this world at which I'm now an expert, it's killing Argentine ants and running bamboo.

[Sarah in SC]

Nash I will happily sign up for a subscription if your third volume has fleas as the subject.

We have fire ants. Don't bother killing them, too much yard. We do battle sometimes with carpenter bees. And those weird little yellow triangle winged biting flies. No other ants. But lord, I spend a ton of money on flea control!

[nash031]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarah in SC Nash I will happily sign up for a subscription if your third volume has fleas as the subject. We have fire ants. Don't bother killing them, too much yard. We do battle sometimes with carpenter bees. And those weird little yellow triangle winged biting flies. No other ants. But lord, I spend a ton of money on flea control!

Fortunately, I haven't had to deal with that with dogs... Yet.

[target2019]

Raid heavy duty bait. Home stores have it. Comes in small plastic shells.

[kitesurfer2]

my wife hired her bug sprayer friend to treat our property inside and out for 'carpenter' ants. The chemical he used controlled the ants, but it also controlled the humming birds. we had no humming bird visits for 2 years, until all the chemicals had dissipated.

[Barboh]

We have used Amdro for fire ants for years, and it works great. I just had to buy more, because I looked out the window to the back and saw maybe 6 huge mounds. These are not fire ants, they are the big black ones. But, while I was at Lowes buying the stuff, a man told me that he had been told you can use cinnamon around their mounds, They supposedly hate the smell.
Good luck!

[target2019]

If you have pets be conservative and cautious. I've found that bait in the square plastic holders is much easier to hide from pets.

[Easypick]

We had a lot of rain this year and I guess that was the cause for two colonies of acrobat ants get into our walls through the weep holes. Ants will be attracted to either a sweet or protein bait. I bought two KM AntPro Liquid Ant Bait Dispensers and baited them with Gourmet Liquid Ant Bait (sweet). One colony was gone in about two weeks. The second, larger one took about another week and required the use of protein bait too - Advance 375A Granular Ant Bait. I left the liquid ant bait dispensers out in the areas where the colonies where located as a preventive. Also, Delta Dust works well as a spot treatment behind outlets and crevices. Cheaper in the long run (especially if you have to retreat) and just as good as an exterminator in my opinion.

[BTravlin]

Another satisfied user of the Terro baits. Works like a charm!

[Letj]

Spray vinegar daily around the perimeter of the area. If they're in the house, spray around the kitchen sink and counter tops. This avoids use of chemicals and always work for me.


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[RonBoyd]

On second thought, maybe they are not so benign... for the sake of this, let's remove Fire Ants (I concur with previous comments):

Leaf Cutter Ants Chew Up Photographer's Camera Gear