Hi mammas! our yard has quite a few fire ant nests. normally i'd dust them with chemical fireant killer and they disappear. but now our kids are wanting to go outside and i just don't feel comfortable having them walk through fireant dust, or playing with toys that have rolled through it. Is there something i can do to get rid of them? ALSO, i do have a small garden plot that the ants seem to LOVE, so whenever we want to weed, or pick a flower or what have you, you never know if you're going to uproot a mass of these nasties. i can't use chemicals on this garden area, as i would like to actually EAT the few things we manage to grow. any advice?
well, if anyone is wondering what to do about fire ants, tell them to KISS YOUR GRITS!
the grits seem to be working, so thanks for all your responses. thanks again, mamas!
Aztec Organic Pest Control in Austin is a GREAT company. We love them & have been very pleased over the last 4 yrs.
I haver tried the SAFER brand and it did not work! Try sevin dust. It is a chemical, but one of the better ones for using around kids and pets.
Sprinkle the mound with cornmeal. I've used this method for years and it works great.
Orange oil works and is completely nontoxic although I'm not sure how much you dilute it. Call the Natural Gardener and they'll be able to tell you exactly what you need to know and they sell it there too, although I even saw it for sale at HEB.
My mom is into all natural killing of fireants. She boils water, pours it over the mound & around it, then sprinkles cheap store brand grits all over the mound & about 6 inches or so around the mound. It seems to work. My kids run in to her, "Oma, get the grits!"
Good luck! I know what a nuisance ants can be!!
My mother in law uses a whole box of Grits per mound. She says it takes a while but it works.
Talcum powder works for us. I have heard that these others work too. Cayenne pepper and Mashed potato flakes. Good luck!
I have a recipe using all natural products that can be purchased through a company that I sell products for.
I use boiling water and Bronner's Peppermint soap.
Squirt the soap around the mound to keep the ants from running away. Then pour 2-3 pots of BOILING water over the hill. Stir it up to make sure it's no longer moving around. Keep the water concentrated on the mound and it will take care of the problem. Do this when the ants are up near the surface, later in the day.
I've had great results with this method.
Good luck! I HATE those lil' suckers.
Boiling water does the trick every time.
my "bug" guy at Chem-Tech put down something on my entire yard 4 or 5 years ago and my yard is STILL ant free!! Don't know what it was, but just told me to keep the kids off the yard for a couple days and I'm THRILLED. If you're in the Houston area I can give you their phone number.
http://www.vinegartips.com/gardening/
Destilled White Vinegar. This site has gardening and other uses for the stuff. I moped my floor with bleach for years. This stuff works much better than bleach on my floors. No green thumb so not sure about the ants...but we do have some beds that i will try this out on!! Good luck.
We are in Austin and also have some trouble with fire ants. What we have found that seems to work and is totally safe for my kid to walk on, play around is diatomaceous earth.
Here is a site that tells you more, though you could google it too.
diatomaceous earth
I will say that Home Depot/Lowes carries this too. Although their product is much coarser and should not be ingested by a human. I have a friend who purchases the food grade quality and doesn't worry about it. My kiddos are old enough that I don't worry them putting things in their mouths outside.
HTH
K., mama to
Catherine, 5y
Samuel, 2y
EDD 9/09
a friend of mine recomended this to me.
My dad used to pour boiling water on them. I think it just made them go underground but it was a deterrent. If they do get bit though if you keep a 9 part water 1 part bleach solution nearby and dab it on the bites very soon, then it takes the itch out of them.
There is a product named "Top Choice" that is safe in the yard and garden. We've had it professionally applied the last two years and are having it done again next week. It is somewhat expensive but it does take care of it. Our exterminator guarantees it for a year and came back last year to spot treat two spots. I just found that it can be shipped to Texas so if you want to do it yourself, google Top Choice and some sites will come up. You'll need to calculate how much land you need to treat to determine how much to buy.
