Battling Fire Ants

T

TrashMaster G

250+ Posts
We recently bought a new house so now I am King of the Jungle. Well, the jungle apparently includes a few nasty fir ant colonies. It's been a couple of years since I waged this battle, so I thought I would seek some advice.

What are the good products available? How do you apply them and how long do they take to kill the colony? Where do I get the stuff and how much $$$?

Thanks.
 
This product kicks their ***.

Ortho Ortholene?? Fire Ant Killer.

Its a white powder that smells really bad but you sprinkle a bit on the mound and they are all dead within 2 hours.
 
I've used the ortho powder with great results...that is if you can stand the stench. this past spring I bought the cheapest fire ant killer at home depot (maybe it was on special). doesn't smell bad, you sprinkle it on top of the mound and then you pour about a gallon of water on it. doesn't kill them instantly, but by the morning they are all gone.
 
It is true. They are still whomping the **** out of fire ants, ants, grub worm and fleas. All this and totally chemical free w/ no toxins. I just laid the two doses out per instructions, water the lawn once per week min. and voila, no ants. New piles start to try to pop up only to be eaten by the 'Todes. They don't affect humans or animals...but chemicals sure do.

Beneficial Nematodes, look 'em up in Google. In Austin you can go toThe Link I am pretty sure they have info there about them. That is where I got mine. They are customized to different regions to rid other problem bugs in that area. They attack the queen and the other ants and eat them. They are microscopic and reign underground. Harmless to pets and people. Get cracking.
 
When I was in HS, one of my dad's buddies that had a house in Burleson's yard was covered in fire ants one summer. After a beer or 20, he decided it would be a good idea to poor gasoline on all of the mounds and try to burn the little ******** out. He poured gas on all of the mounds, then realized he didn't have any matches and went inside to get some, allowing the gas fumes to go all through the tunnels. Anyway, he basically blew up his whole yard, and it was one of the funniest things I have ever seen!! All of the mounds were charred black, as was most of the rest of the yard. Dude was lucky that he didn't have any natural gas lines through his backyard into the house.
 
We used Amdro. The thing I like about it is that you only have to apply it like twice a year. You spread it like fertilizer.

I've heard good things about nematodes, too.
 
'Todes you put down twice. They are put down one week apart from one another to double the chances you did it right and that they took. Water once a week at the min. and they should be good to go for 2 years. I am going to repeat at 1 year and 9 months just to be sure. That's it...all for 20 bucks and maybe 20 minutes of your time.

No chemicals, no gas. Unless you ate at Taco Bell that day.
 
I had heard that nematodes were like hookworms, in that if you walk around your lawn barefoot, they could stick to your feet and penetrate your skin....leading to GI issues.
 
I've tried Amdro and all the others. Most of the others do not kill the queen, they simply eliminate the mound and the ants move their mound and the queen to another space in your lawn. The one I'm sold on is made by Bayer. It comes in a blue plastic container and is a white powder. This stuff kills the mound and the queen. Sprinkle the mound with this stuff - no watering necessary - they're gone the next day and they will not be relocated anywhere.
 
Hookworms are nematodes. Don't know if the fire-ant killer nematodes can cause problems though.
 
ok try this......would like to keep 3 acres fire ant free....I love the white powder that smells like hell...works great in front yard...but I would need a second mortgage to do the whole property in that. Nematodes sound cheap enough to do whole property...but I ain't watering 3 acres that much. Anyhting that combos cheap price and easy use for large properties???
 
I agree on Amdro. I used to spread it 2x a year like fertilizer across the entire yard and the public spaces near my house. Problem solved.
 
The spectricide seemed to work but then I realized that it was just moving the mounds.

The Ortho powder smells like rotting vegetables, but it seems to work great. And I like not having to water it in.

If anybody figures out someting easy and cheap, please tell New Braunfels Middle School. I reffed a football game out there last night and that field was covered in fire ants.
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