Millions Of Ants Problem - How to get rid of.

[dejaemail]

We have millions of ant colonies in our yard - in NW Indiana. They have spread everywhere. To give you an idea we have a 1.5 foot wide round planter they invaded and they have about at least 1.5 dozen colonies/hills in it. The same ratio goes for the five acres around our house. I have tried spraying but they just come back after a few weeks - it does not kill many of the nests. These ants are the harmless midwest small red ant colonies you see all over the midwest but they are in my yard in plague proportions. We have always had this issue and it is getting worse. Our yard used to be a alfalpha field but that was 5 years ago. Any clue what I can use to at least put a dent in these pests. I obviously do not want to get rid of all of them and I know they are good for the ground and harmless BUT when you cant even drive the mowing tractor in the yard because the millions of

2"-3" high ant hill bumps makes it impossible to drive with any speed whatsoever there is a problem.

Thanks

Rick

[Ben]

We never had a problem that large but here BORAX takes care of them.

[bamboo]

Look into making up a batch of boric acid bait. The concentration needs to be around 1% with the rest taken up by sugar and some form of flavorant. figure 1 oz of boric acid 5 lbs of sugar and a quart of water, make the sugar syrup and stir the boric acid in while it's hot and then add a small jar of mint jelly so the ant's can find it by smell. I load it into small pieces of bamboo and set em around near the mounds. It takes a while before it works but it kills the entire colony.

[Doug Kanter]

Check your phone messages. Has Stephen King called and asked if you wanted to be in his next horror movie, which, coincidentally, involves ants?

[Lloyd Olson]

You might try a shovel full of ants/dirt from one colony and put on top of another. They go to war and get rid of each other. LTG :)

[dejaemail]

I have heard of the borax cure before but forgot about it and did not have the recipie. I will definitly try it. We also have a wood pile that has the occasional carperter ant problem so I will use it there too. The wood gets burned within the year so there never is any huge problem with these ants because any small next gets burned but I will always keep the borax traps near the pile now as an extra preventative. Thanks for the info.

Rick

[Nick Maclaren]

Personally, I think that this is unreasonable. Why are you so afraid of a bit of wildlife? Before you go on about a Limey who doesn't have a clue, my childhood was in Africa, where ants eat people. A few anthills really aren't a problem.

Seriously. Live with nature. Reintroduce wolves and lynx to the UK. And, yes, I do mean in my back garden.

Regards, Nick Maclaren.

[William Wagner]

Wonderful...I'd add dip em in chocolate and eat em.

I keep em out of my house as a primary directive. Most effective is to deprive them of food. Last resort oil of pennyroyal which drives them away. Affects my cat and me too so less is more.

Have boric acid and sugar about in basement.

Bill

[dejaemail]

Afraid? Who said anything about being afraid? Get a clue. This aint Africa and there aint a few! LOL! Your perspective is irrelevent. Ever think that an imbalence in nature is an indication of a problem and needs intellegent responsible intervention? Sorry, I don't worship nature as a perfect dieity, I intellegently manage it because it is not perfect. It is typical socialist thinking that condems other freedoms/thoughts as being inferior to their own. Narrow thinking idealology over praticality and realism. Go ahead and reintroduce wolves and lynx into your back garden and see what other ecological disasters you cause because of this simplistic nonthinking feelgood idea. The USA alone is full of such consequences. I will continue to intellegently manage the wildlife in my area.