Questions and Discussions - ants getting rid of

Questions and Discussions

Subject: "ants getting rid of"

Conferences Pests & Diseases Topic #16
Printer-friendly copy Email this topic to a friend
Reading Topic #16

stac -- USDA Zone 9

Guest

Mar-24-02, 03:40 PM (EST)

"ants getting rid of"

how do i get rid of red ants in my gardens and near my bushes. i think they are fire ants i live in the desert of az. any ideas at all where i will not hurt the plants or shrubs

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Diane Franklin -- USDA Zone 5
Member since Feb-3-02
361 posts

Mar-24-02, 03:42 PM (EST)

Click to send private message to Diane%20Franklin

Click to add this user to your buddy list

1. "RE: ants getting rid of"
In response to message #0

Hi Stac, I found two non-toxic ways to tackle fire ants. First: grits! Pour grits on the mound. They eat them, the grits swell up and they explode. HMMMM!

Second: Bucketing fire ants. Tuck your pants into your socks and keep an close eye on them. Sprinkle the sides of a large bucket with baby powder or cornstarch so they can't crawl up the sides. Quickly shovel the mound along with at least a foot of soil under the mound into the bucket. Unfortunately the info I have doesn't tell you what to do with this bucket of ants. Will they drown? Some people drop insects into a soapy bucket of water so maybe the fire ants will succumb to it also.

Everything else I read (gasoline, cleaning products, exhaust fumes, mechanical devices, etc) either doesn't work or is such a serious health threat that they say "Don't use it".

Wish you the best, Diane

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Pip

Guest

Jul-14-03, 06:14 AM (EST)

2. "RE: ants getting rid of"
In response to message #1

If you have lots of water use that. Ants hate having their home wet. If you add a non-toxic detergent to the water you use then it will increase the wetting power. I have used soapy water on not only pot based ant nests but also ground based ones. If you attack it every day for a week and "flood" the nest. They'll go elsewhere. Another thing that I've found most ants hate is coffee grounds. I now have coffee grounds in the tops of all my pots and around my stone garden edges, the ants hate the stuff. Snails aren't to keen on it either as a bonus.

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

shelley -- USDA Zone 5or6

Guest

Jul-27-03, 11:51 AM (EST)

3. "RE: ants getting rid of"
In response to message #0

have you tried mixing borax with powdered sugar and placing it where they'll eat it? recommend on a plate, as borax is good but too much of it is bad for the soil. also heard cream of tartar good for keeping ants out, but not sure if it will do anything for established colonies.

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Diane Franklin -- USDA Zone 5
Member since Feb-3-02
361 posts

Jul-27-03, 06:38 PM (EST)

4. "RE: ants getting rid of"
In response to message #3

Here is a tip for ants from Valerie,
"ants"

A woman had a question about ants. I just received an e-mail from Park Seed, and this was the suggestion one person gave.....
To get rid of fire ants: Just when you see a new hill starting, poke a hole in the hill with a small stick or slender handle and fill the hole with boiling hot water. When the queen comes out, kill her. This works! For larger hills, try several sheets of fabric softener. This will make the ants leave the hill.
� F. M. Wood of Seneca, SC

I have also had luck with garlic powder. Just sprinkle it on the next, and they usually disappear quickly.

If you have ants in a container, flood the container with water several times, and they go away.

Alert | IP

Printer-friendly page | Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Conferences | Topics | Previous Topic | Next Topic