Fire ants

[Talltinter]

Well they are out.

The past couple of weeks I have been building my driveway. I now have some impressive welts from the fire ants.

What do you guys use to control the fire ants? I have done some research on the net and became confused. I am concerned about placing a toxic product out. I do not want to spread out something that will harm the cattle.

Any suggestions?

 

[jersey lilly]

After livin in this part of Texas for 17 years, and fireants here with us, the only place I put anything out to controll them is the front yard. The rest....we just live with it.

 

[alacattleman]

After livin in this part of Texas for 17 years, and fireants here with us, the only place I put anything out to controll them is the front yard. The rest....we just live with it.

thats right no sence wasting money on chemicals when the neighbors aint doing anything kill this hill here. a new one will pop up over yonder tomorrow bet on it

 

[backhoeboogie]

Diatamaceous Earth or "DE" (not sure how to spell it) works awesome until it rains. A 50 lb bag costs about $22 or you can get a 20 lb bag for $19 so I buy the 50 pound bags. Somehow it scratches holes in the ants shell and the ants dehydrate and die. It dissipates with rain tho. I buy it and put it in 5 gallon buckets. I've tried all the Dirt Doctor's remedies without much success. Corn meal is one. They eat it while its dry then it swells inside them and kills them.

Anyway, I have gone back to the chemicals around the foundation of everything. If you google "dirt doctor" I think the guy's name is Howard Garrett or something like that. He has a web site with interesting info for all kinds of things. He advocates "the natural way". I catch his talk show on WBAP from time to time.

If we are having a camp out or such, I powder DE over the entire area a day ahead of time and there are no ants. There are folks who mix it with horse and cattle feed too. DE works on lots of tiny critters. For cheap entertainment, stir up one of those ant hills and sprinkle it with DE. After a couple of minutes the ants are all having convulsions.

 

[Caustic Burno]

Diatamaceous Earth or "DE" (not sure how to spell it) works awesome until it rains. A 50 lb bag costs about $22 or you can get a 20 lb bag for $19 so I buy the 50 pound bags. Somehow it scratches holes in the ants shell and the ants dehydrate and die. It dissipates with rain tho. I buy it and put it in 5 gallon buckets. I've tried all the Dirt Doctor's remedies without much success. Corn meal is one. They eat it while its dry then it swells inside them and kills them.

Anyway, I have gone back to the chemicals around the foundation of everything. If you google "dirt doctor" I think the guy's name is Howard Garrett or something like that. He has a web site with interesting info for all kinds of things. He advocates "the natural way". I catch his talk show on WBAP from time to time.

If we are having a camp out or such, I powder DE over the entire area a day ahead of time and there are no ants. There are folks who mix it with horse and cattle feed too. DE works on lots of tiny critters. For cheap entertainment, stir up one of those ant hills and sprinkle it with DE. After a couple of minutes the ants are all having convulsions.

I have very few fireant's, I leave the armadillos alone, I drag the pastures on the coldest day of the winter, this takes out a lot. Also have to spray liquid seven in the fall for armyworms.

 

[Lammie]

Howard Garret is great. I had fleas real bad in the house one year and I couldn't get rid of them until I read something about him in the newspaper. Diatomatious earth works well with any insect. They are like tiny little seashells all ground up and it gets in the chinks of their exoskeleton. You have to be careful and not breath it when you apply it. It will get into your chinks, too.

Last year, I had fire ants so bad that they would get into my chicken's eggs as they were hatching and kill the chick before it ever hatched. Had a terrible chick crop last year. I am hesitant to use anything around the pens because the chickens scratch around so. I don't want them to eat poisons.

We usually just Orthene around the yard. It was a losing battle though, last year.

 

[Mahoney Pursley Ranch]

If you use DE for domestic animals it must be food grade DE. The DE for swimming pool filters has chemicals in it that will harm animals. I use food grade DE in my chicken coop to control insects,it works. ;-)

 

[Fred]

As for as in your yard they say it's best to treat your whole yard with a bait such as Amdro. Then come back in a couple of weeks and treat any individual mounds. I like the Amdro better than the kind that has to be watered in. As far as in the pasture I only treat the mounds that are bothersome such as around the gate or corral.

 

[dj]

If you use DE for domestic animals it must be food grade DE. The DE for swimming pool filters has chemicals in it that will harm animals. I use food grade DE in my chicken coop to control insects,it works. ;-)

Do you use it to dust the birds also?

 

[jw]

Corn meal is one. They eat it while its dry then it swells inside them and kills them.

The reason this remedy doesn't work is ants cannot swallow solids. Look at their tiny waist. Therefore they have to turn all their foodstuffs into liquids before they ingest it. Since the corn meal is already liquified before ingestion there is no way for it to expand inside them.

 

[Mahoney Pursley Ranch]

If you use DE for domestic animals it must be food grade DE. The DE for swimming pool filters has chemicals in it that will harm animals. I use food grade DE in my chicken coop to control insects,it works. ;-)

Do you use it to dust the birds also?

I sprinkle the DE in the coop and in the pen. I do not dust the birds directly but put the DE in the dirt holes they dust themselves in. I let them free range during the day.

 

[Lammie]

If you use DE for domestic animals it must be food grade DE. The DE for swimming pool filters has chemicals in it that will harm animals. I use food grade DE in my chicken coop to control insects,it works. ;-)

Do you use it to dust the birds also?

I sprinkle the DE in the coop and in the pen. I do not dust the birds directly but put the DE in the dirt holes they dust themselves in. I let them free range during the day.

So it is okay to use in the chicken pen? Great! I'll do that this weekend. I haven't seen any in the pens yet, but I know it is a matter of time. Thanks! :cboy:

 

[dj]

We haven't had chickens since the mid 80's, but we use to catch them up and dust their backside with DE. The results were about the same as Sevin for keeping lice under control.
Also used lime white wash on the interior of the coop.

 

[Lammie]

I have done the lime white wash before. Yea, DE would be great for the lice and mites. I don't know why that didnt occur to me. Blonde moment, I suppose. Mine haven't had issues with mites, but when I first got my chickens, about 5 years ago, I had about 15 and they got mites. What a pain! I am definitely getting some DE this weekend.

 

[Mahoney Pursley Ranch]

Get the DE at the feed store and make sure you get FOOD GRADE DE. NOT swimming pool filter DE. ;-)