fire ant removal

[Margie Davis]

Is there any tried and true product or concoction for getting rid of fire ants in one's yard?

And what do you put on a fire ant bite to keep the inflammation and itching at bay?

Thanks

[rj]

I like "Orthene" sprinkled on the mound to get rid of the nasty buggers. For some people an over-the-counter cortisone cream works on the bites. My wife used "sting-eze" with some success, but you have to apply it immediately after being stung.

[Banister Stairwell]

I like this stuff, too. It doesn't smell very good, but it sure works.

As far as the bites, a Google search will yield numberous hits on the subject.

[Lar]

In article , [e-mail] says... :) Is there any tried and true product or concoction for getting rid of fire :) ants in one's yard? :) :) And what do you put on a fire ant bite to keep the inflammation and itching :) at bay? :) :) Thanks :) :) :) As mentioned before Orthene Fire Ant Powder works well but does have an odor, even when storing it. If they are in reach of a garden hose, any general insecticide, pre mixed that you hook up to a garden hose works well. Saturate the mounds, remove the sprayer from hose until a new mound shows up. If you have any insect granules around, put about 1/3 to 1/2 cup in an old gallon container (milk jug, empty anti freeze jug, etc.) fill with water, shake, then empty the liquid on the mound. Large mounds might need a couple of gallons. You might try Amdro or Award and twice a year spread it around the yard as you would fertilizer.

[volts500]

AMDRO to kill the ants and any anti-itch cream that contains Diphenhydramine Hydrochloride (2%) for the itching.

[RB]

Excellent paper on treatment of fire ant bites:

allergy.edoc.com/1996_archives/pdf/aug_96/87.pdf

RB

rj wrote:

[Over40pirate]

For the itch, try rolling on some deodorant. It works! I use Andro on the mounds.

[Bubba Gump]

The only sure cure is to move north (or south, if you are in the southern hemisphere).

[NorMinn]

I've heard fire ants in Georgia are a lot worse than in Florida, which is hard to imagine. We live in Florida and tried other products around our condo with no success. Then we were told about Amdro, and it works miracles. It is a bait, needs to be applied when rain is not anticipated, and works extremely well. Label recommends not watering for two or three days, I believe. Use very sparingly, around mounds, and you can watch the critters start taking it to the nest. One application eliminated most of the mounds for about a year, with spot treatment later. Fire ants here like to build nests mainly along pavement, under pavers, and flower pots. One container took care of our

25,000 sq ft of lawn. Container says you can broadcast over entire lawn, but for us that was not necessary.

Bites don't itch me, but drive my hubby crazy. Broken bones don't bother him, but fire ant bites do :o) He uses Benadryl. If you have health problems, like diabetes or circulatory impairment, I would avoid the nasties and ask the doc what to use. Good luck.

Interestingly, when the fire ants subside there seem to be more carpenter ants and termites.

[chicagofan]

I don't know if we have more here in GA, but I would certainly think we have as many. :) I also use Amdro which works, but it is an annual fight here, they always come back. bj

[NorMinn]

There is nothing that will clear them permanently - how would that be possible? Critters reproduce and build nests and life goes on. Amdro can be used sparingly, fast results and not much poison running into the water supply.

[Bob S.]

As you've probably found out, most insecticides just cause the mound to move. You run them to your neighbors yard and he runs them back. Most responses named the best products for fire ants (Amdro & Orthene), but to be effective they need to be used in combination. Use the Amdro first, wait a week or two, then follow up with Orthene.

The Amdro is taken into the nest, stored as a food, and eventually fed to the queen, killing her. The workers get most of their food outside the nest so you can't rely on the Amdro killing all them - that is where the Orthene comes in. If you use it first however, you run the chance that the queen will live and move the nest.

This procedure is recommended by the county agricultural agents in Alabama.

As for the itch, people react to bites very differently. What works for one may not work for another. I have found Band-Aid anti-itch gel works best. It's available at WalMart stores.

Bob S.

[zxcvbob]

Orthene is only approved for use on a few (I don't remember the number -- it's been 15 years) fire ant mounds per acre. Ten mounds, maybe? Use it in high traffic areas where you need to get rid of a big mound *fast*.

What works a lot better and is cheaper is Logic® fire ant bait. You just sprinkle it around at an application rate of 1 pound per acre. It contains a growth hormone Fenoxycarb, and is relatively nontoxic, and one application is good for a whole season. But it takes about a month to work.

Best regards, Bob

[Jeff Cochran]

Amdro.

Most single bites can be treated with any steroid (Hydrocortisone) cream or bite remedies. If you're allergic, a trip to the doctor is recommended. Some people swear by oatmeal applied to the bite and left to dry, and meat tenderizer seems to work for others. It's tempting to break the pustules to relieve the pain and discomfort but you naturally have an infection issue if you do.

Jeff

[NorMinn]

Not so, here in Florida. From my experience, lots of people don't read labels and, even if they do, just dump a pile of poison large enough to crush the darn bugs. The "more is better" syndrome. Anything poured onto the hill will alert ants and possibly cause them to move. Liquids have little chance of saturating an entire nest, as the nest can be 20 feet wide/deep.

I've watched neighbors pour bags of Dursban all over ant hills and have no effect whatsoever. The amount of Amdro we used was probably less than one teaspoon per hill, around the mound.

There is an area across upper Alabama that has a different species of ant than we have in Florida, but the two species are hybridizing and spreading farther north and west.

[Lar]

In article , [e-mail] says... :) Not so, here in Florida. From my experience, lots of people don't read :) labels and, even if they do, just dump a pile of poison large enough to :) crush the darn bugs. The "more is better" syndrome. Anything poured :) onto the hill will alert ants and possibly cause them to move. Liquids :) have little chance of saturating an entire nest, as the nest can be 20 :) feet wide/deep.

Actually liquids are the quickest remedies for the individual mounds. Fire ants can be found twenty feet deep, but don't nest that deep. They use the warmth of the sun for their egg incubation and larva growth so a thorough saturation pretty much eliminates them. :) :) I've watched neighbors pour bags of Dursban all over ant hills and have :) no effect whatsoever. The amount of Amdro we used was probably less :) than one teaspoon per hill, around the mound. :) The reason most of the dursban applications never worked was because they didn't water the insecticide in. In this case, or not enough water, the fire ants will definitely not just move, but bud into several mounds. Amdro will work, but usually have to apply more than what it is called for and it can take some time for results.

Here's some helpful info..

[TURTLE]

This is Turtle.

I'm with Jeff with Andro's Ant Bait.

TURTLE