killing red ants

[jvicars]

is there a cheap way to kill them? the store stuff is so high for pastures. thanks in fl

 

[Jogeephus]

Are you talking about fire ants? Orthene is used in the tobacco fields here and they are clean. Must get them pretty good.

On a side note, someone said they thought sulfur worked on them as well. After hearing this I began to notice that I don't seem to have fireants in the fields where I add sulfur to my fertilizer mix. I usually have to add 15# / acre since we no longer have much in the atmosphere. I don't know if this is a coincidence or not. But adding 15# of sulfur to you next batch of fertilizer can't hurt anything and maybe will get rid of some ants for you.

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

Don't think he's talking about fire ants ???

"Red" ants, at least in these parts, are about 1/2" long and can sting good. But, they are not "collectively" aggressive as fire ants are.

The red ants seem to like dry, sandy/gravelly "soil"

Now...if you're talking about those tiny red PiXX Ants that stink when you mash them...don't bits, sting, or hurt you.

For real "red" ants...diesel down their hole does a good job...hypothetically, that is... :shock:

 

[Jogeephus]

Never heard of those and I hope those Floridians will keep them down there in Florida. The love bug gift they gave us a few years ago was gracious enough. I've been thinking about mounting my seeder on the back of the truck and broadcasting kudzu down to Miami to return the favor. ;-) :lol:

 

[Lammie]

Red Ants, around here anyways, are Harvester Ants and are actually beneficial. They are food for Horned Toads, which are in short supply around here, meaning extinct, because the dam fire ants have taken over the habitat and they eat everything including Horned Toad eggs and babies. I don't see that many Harvester Ant beds around here anymore, but when I do, I leave them be. They bite but they aren't aggressive, like Bill said. Fire ants won't quit.

I miss seeing Horned Toads. They were everywhere when I was a kid and I haven't seen one in 30 years.

 

[KenB]

Red Ants, around here anyways, are Harvester Ants and are actually beneficial. They are food for Horned Toads, which are in short supply around here, meaning extinct, because the dam fire ants have taken over the habitat and they eat everything including Horned Toad eggs and babies. I don't see that many Harvester Ant beds around here anymore, but when I do, I leave them be. They bite but they aren't aggressive, like Bill said. Fire ants won't quit.

I miss seeing Horned Toads. They were everywhere when I was a kid and I haven't seen one in 30 years.

I hate fire ants also, but I don't think they have been here for 30 years. Must be something else causing the decline in Horned toads.

 

[MikeC]

This what ya'll are calling a "Red" ant?


http://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/resources/CowKiller.shtml

 

[backhoeboogie]

This what ya'll are calling a "Red" ant?


http://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/resources/CowKiller.shtml

No mike. Red ants (a.k.a Harvestors) are big dark red ants and they are good critters. I have never seen one in the house but there are three red ant beds in my pasture near the house. I don't bother them. They generally have about a 5 foot diameter circle of bare ground around their entry and there are trails to a from their homes. From what I understand they kill fire ants. If that is true, I wish I had more mounds.

 

[MikeC]

This what ya'll are calling a "Red" ant?


http://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/resources/CowKiller.shtml

No mike. Red ants (a.k.a Harvestors) are big dark red ants and they are good critters. I have never seen one in the house but there are three red ant beds in my pasture near the house. I don't bother them. They generally have about a 5 foot diameter circle of bare ground around their entry and there are trails to a from their homes. From what I understand they kill fire ants. If that is true, I wish I had more mounds.

Never seen them. But if they kill fireants, I want some! :lol:

 

[peg4x4]

I think "Red ants" and "Harverster ants" are two different critters..Neither one woll attack like the "Fire ant" Yes,we've had them for over 30 years- There are some Horned Toads in Smithville-none in my town or here..Think Costal grass helped do them in-no loose sand to lay eggs in..Miss them too

 

[backhoeboogie]

Here is a link. They call them Red Harvestor Ants.

http://insects.tamu.edu/extension/bulletins/l-5314.html

 

[peg4x4]

Yep,that's the ones I was meaning---Read a story once about a family that hid their money from the Yankees by diging into a red ant bed and buring it..The kids stood in wash tubs to dig the holes..

 

[jw]

I actually learned the other day at my annual "bug school" that the argentine ant is the culprit. They eat anything and everything. They do not bite or sting, but they do eat the harvester ant and the harvester ant is the staple diet of the horned toad. They gang up on the harvester ants and kill them, then eat them. They actually have pictures of them doing it. With no harvester ants the horned toads disappear, either from starvation or migration elsewhere.

 

[peg4x4]

Ok,back to WHY do you want to kill them off?

 

[Dusty Britches]

The cool thing about Harvester Ants is they will gather extra seed during a drought and just before rains return they will "plant" the seeds. I heard about this in our last major drought and sure enough, they spread out the seed just before we started getting rains again.

We have many large mounds all over our pastures. The fire ants will move their mounds closer to the harvesters and then attack. When this starts to happen, we put out fire ant bait, which is harmless to the harvesters. Amdro will kill the harvestors, though.