How to get fire ants out of the garden without using poisons?

Question

That is surely a good idea. But it won't kill the queen. I will try it, but am also looking for something that will either kill the queen as well, or cause the ants to all pack up and move to some other place besides treated areas of my garden.
Thanks though. i will try it.

Wildflower, that stuff is poisonous. My question was:
How to get fire ants out of the garden without using poisons?

Answer 1

one of the simplest thing in getting rid out of ants is by boiling water and when it boils you pour it over the location of the fire ants i bet they will die and yet you did not use poison. try it to prove that it works.

Answer 2

To "Kill" a queen or fire ant mound, there must be some sort of Mode of Action. Either something that dramatically wounds the body or something that is ingested and kills from inside. In most cases of a non-poison remedy, they just don't work well. Fire ants are quite resiliant. By as metioned above boiling water or steam works okay. There are adapters you can purchase for a propane tank to actually burn the mound.

Prior to adding boiling water or burning, you might want to try to put an irritant to flush up the colony. Such as citrus (Lemon juice mixed in water) or Lemon Joy mixed in water. The citrus and soap irriates the ants.

I have also heard of incorpoating Diatomaceous Earth into the soil. These are fossilized remains that have sharp crystaline edges that can damage the outer layer of insects.

But for the most parts a non-chemical approach is very difficult and does not last very long.

There may be some Organic solutions you can use. Look into what OMRI has listed. Many of the organics don't use "Poisions" but extracts from food.

An example of that is using Ground Oriental Mustard for fungus and nematode control. (This is the same thing you eat.) Once it comes into contact with water, it creates a gas called Allyl isothiocyanate. You know that flash you get when you eat Wasabi, that's Allyl isothiocyanate.

I did research for Fire ant control in the states of Texas and Florida. And found the best chemical approach is a very safe pesticide called Fipronil (Trade name Over 'n Out).

Answer 3

Your interior of reach keep has products designed to kill fie ant mounds. purchase one and use it. the final are the powders which you splatter on the mound. the worker ants take the stuff back to the queen and quickly the finished mound is lifeless. Sprays at the instant are not sturdy. they have a tendency to set off off a protection mechanism interior the ant colony. The ants smash up and create extra colonies and multiply in an attempt to proceed to exist.

Answer 4

First water the area with alot of regular water, this way the ants bring up their eggs, then apply the boiling water to kill them without any poison.

Answer 5

My Father gave me this formula: Go to ACE Hardware and buy a one pound box of Borax. Heath 1/2 cup of water ad 1 cup of regular granulated sugar and mix it. go outside and pour the mixture in a disposable container and ad 1/2 cup of Borax and make a consisting peanut butter mixture.Have ready pieces of carboard about 5X5 inches and put the paste on it, place the carboard on the path of the fire ants and they will carry the food back to the ness and kill the queen.
Your pets should be keep away from this mixture, for safety.

Answer 6

this worked for me.if you have a small garden .buy a bag of ortho ant killer.sprinkle it around the out side of your garden.encircle the pest.they constantly leave their nest searching for food.they will carry the poison back to the nest.in about ten days you will notice most dead.continue applying the ortho every two weeks until all are gone

Answer 7

Go down to Home Depot or Lowe's Hardware; any Hardware and get a bag of their Ant Killer stuff. It cost about $20.00 or less. Follow instructions to the letter. You may not get rid of the ants entirely, but you will see a difference.

Boiling water only causes the ants to move a few feet away and build a new mound.

Answer 8

You could use boric acid. Boric acid is poisonous to ants acting on their exoskeleton, and is not harmful to human beings.

Answer 9

Buy a box of Grits and sprinkle on the mounds. It will kill a lot of them and they will move their nest.

Answer 10

you are not going to get rid of them, you are just going to **** off these dangerous pests. you can use many different products with-out fear of poison being taken up by your plants. read on at this site.