Organic Fire Ant Control?

MatthewBanner said:

Well the Best thing you can go for is call an pest control exterminator,they will help you out from getting rid off these Ants.

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Sorry @MatthewBanner. I can't support that option. We bought our farm with the intent of getting away from toxic chemicals, and to live a GMO/Soy free life with our animals. An exterminator is going to spray toxic chemicals that would likely show up in my chicken eggs and meat, as well as my goat milk and meat, not to mention in the soil where I grow my vegetables. If that doesn't bother you, then hire an exterminator. I personally prefer to find natural ways to eliminate pests and weeds (don't even get me started on RoundUp!!!).

So far as fire ants go...I have to deal with them periodicaly. When they are a problem I just need water, a hoe and quick feet.

I disturb the hill thoroughly then pour water on it. I have to pay attention though and keep away from the ants. By pouring water on the nest, the ants are more interested in saving their eggs than in attacking.

I have to keep doing this every day or too for a while. Eventually the ants move thier nest elsewhere.

There used to be a powder similar to sevin dust that I use. It is not labeled as orgainic but the main ingredient is made from chrysanthamums. I don't know if it is even on the market anymore, but it worked fairly well.

I hate fire ants!!!!!

"Pyrethrin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Chemical Structure of Pyrethrin, Pyrethrin I R = CH3, Pyrethrin II R = CO2CH3
The pyrethrins are a class of organic compounds normally derived from Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium that have potent insecticidal activity by targeting the nervous systems of insects. Pyrethrin is syntethically made by industrial methods, but it also naturally occurs in the Chrysanthemum flowers, and thus is often considered an organic insecticide, or at least when is not combined with piperonyl butoxide or other synthetic adjuvants.[1] Their insecticidal and insect repellent properties have been known and utilized for thousands of years.

Pyrethrins are gradually replacing organophosphates and organochlorides as the pesticide of choice, since these other compounds have been shown to have significant and persistent toxic effects to humans. Because they are biodegradable compounds, pyrethrins are now widely regarded as being preferable to pyrethroids, which is the name of a group of synthetic analogues of pyrethrin that accumulate in the environment. Pyrethrins are considered to be low toxicity pesticides from a human health standpoint."

Very effective against hornets and wasps as well!

I dig the hill up a little to get them
Moving
Splash some gasoline on the hill
Then throw a match from a safe distance
Is that organic?
I mean petroleum products come from the earth right?
Maybe gasoline isn't since it is refined
Works good for fire ants though

I find regular shampoo or dish detergent diluted in water in a spray bottle kills all insects instantly, we used to spray it on the wasp nests so they wouldn't get mad that we knocked their nests down as kids. Worked faster than insect spray! Quick mist spray and they'd all drop dead in seconds.
Not sure how much you'd need for a nest of ants though

Thanks Latestarter for the info. I finally remembered the other product I was thinking of. It is/was called Worry Free. I seem to remember the same company that produces sevin dust produced Worry Free as well.

Pyrethrins react badly on me. I have chemical sensitivities and can't use most products. I like some of the remedies I have found here. Will have to try them.

After seeing this thread back in April, I did some research, and found a non-toxic solution for ants that has worked amazingly well for us. I can't say, with 100% certainty that it will work for fire ants, because we used it on several varieties, but not fire ants. However we will find out soon enough, because my husband found a fire ant mound when he mowed our long grass this past weekend. That it might be fire ants didn't register until I saw the new post here this morning. We are expecting massive rainfall amounts this week, from Tropical Storm Bill, which is headed our way. So we will wait until things settle down a bit to apply it.

What I read was that corn syrup mixed with (20 Mule Team) Borax, works well to get rid of ants. We had borax. So, to test it out, I bought a 16 oz bottle of corn syrup. Heated it on the stove, to make it more liquid and easier to mix with 2 Tbsp of borax. When we saw an ant hill in the yard, we poured 1-3 teaspoons of the syrup into the hole. Some of the hills took 2 applications. But after that they were gone.

What I read, in my research, is that ant queens can lay 1500-3000 eggs a day. The worker ants dig new chambers to accommodate more ants, which means more queens.

Colonies have been known to get upwards of 70 feet long, going in multiple directions, and as many as 4-5 queens. If you flood an ant hole or mound, or pour gasoline and set it on fire, it is impossible to get it all. Also, if you don't get the queens, the colony will survive and regrow, which is probably why they return year after year.

It's important to be patient, when dealing with ants. So, the best way to destroy a colony, is to get poison to the queens, by incorporating the poison in food. A "Trojan Horse" approach, if you will. If the worker ants suspect danger (poison), it won't take it to the queen. If the worker dies before it gets to the poison to the queen, she will survive along with the colony. So, just putting borax or Sevin, etc. around the hole, it won't destroy the colony.

Ants have 2 stomachs. One for personal food and one for food that it later regurgitated and feeds the drone ants and the queen. Also, ants are omnivores (eat insects and plant's) do not eat solids, but rather only consume liquids. They take the solids to the ant larvea, who eat them.

I did more research today, and found the following:

www.fireant.net
If you add "/Control/" to that:
www.fireant.net/Control/
It gives other suggestions, one of which is 2 cups sugar, 1 cup water and 2 Tbsp borax, which is similar to borax and corn syrup. But, I'm thinking sugar would be cheaper, so I am going to give it a try.

Many of the control suggestions involve getting rid of (killing) fire ants in the home. Since we are dealing with fire ant mounds, which are more far reaching, I plan to use a method that gets the poison to the queen, rather than killing them at the mound entrance.

Baymule said:

Pyrethrins react badly on me. I have chemical sensitivities and can't use most products. I like some of the remedies I have found here. Will have to try them.

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I also react to many chemicals - have MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity). However, I have never used Pyrethrins, so don't know if I would react or not.

I have been reading about using pyrethins for fleas on dogs and cats. Our 2 cats have picked up fleas in the backyard, and I am trying to find ways to get rid of the fleas without chemicals on the cats and in the backyard.

We dusted them with diatomateous earth, and so far it hasn't worked. Maybe We need to do it more often. The challenge is, that the cats HATE being dusted with it. Keagan actually goes ballistic when we do it. NOT FUN!