In Alabama, I disrupted an ant mound by sticking a nice thick water
hose down their hole. Turned it on full blast. Was the coolest site
watching the larva die in the hot sun. Needless to say the ants moved
their home into a field instead of my flower bed. I filled the hole
left by the water with leaf debris and cut grass clippings. Nice dark
soil came out within 6 months and lots of worms!

Another option is to get a couple bottles of boric acid (roach powder)
and coat their mound with it. Then disturb the nest. Ants go nuts
trying to bite you but instead they end up coated in white powder
taking it underground and slowly dying and with a little luck killing
larva and the queen. I dried up several mounds that way as well. The
grass around the area didn't die like I thought. I don't think
anything can kill bermuda grass! Don't try this around your prize
plants though. That sugar water boric acid recipe just doesn't work
as well as they say it does, especially on fire ants.

Here in Fresno, we have ants but they aren't fire ants but still
annoying because they come in the house and live in the walls. If you
have baseboards you have to pull them out to cover the holes and the
ants make a new hole elsewhere. I hate stucco! Cheap building
materials. Combat baits seem to do the trick for a few months anyways.
Then the neighbors ants decide to invade. Unless all your neighbors
put out control for ants, there isn't much you can do to keep them
away from your abode.

Carla



kryppy@. wrote in message . ..
On 12 Jul 2003 03:34:22 -0700, (zebrin) wrote:

Put bag in shop vac and use 2 heavy duty extension cords, suck them
out and then burn the bag. We heard in some states its so bad the
city doesn't allow home owners to remove them in any way. The city
has to? Comments?


1. Don't stand in any out of place dirt mounds while removing sand
spurs from your socks!

2. If you are going to carry an empty 55 gallon drum that has been
laying on its side in the yard for a while, make damn sure to look at
it before carrying it against your body!

3. Don't start smashing them with your hands when covered with them!
It just makes them more angry, and will leave you with hand prints all
over you, and sand spurs stuck in your hands.

4. Compressed air can be your best friend when covered with the little
*******s.

5. All the gasoline in the world poured down the hole will make no
difference.

Just a few things I have learned through the years from our little
friends.

Keep in mind, they get very angry when you disturb their mound, if
your vac doesn't have a fifteen foot extension tube I wouldn't
consider it, they will circle around and get you!!

I don't really like chemical solutions, BUT Amdro is your friend with
these things. http://www.amdro.com/Amdro/Tips/index.html