My method all this summer has been to pile greens (coffee
grounds / kitchen scraps, mostly) layered with browns
(shredded newspapers and leaves) in a corner of my back
yard. I live WAY out in the country, so aesthetics are not
a problem.

My plan was to take this lovely stuff and pile it on my
lasagna-gardened flower beds after the first couple of frost.

This a.m., I was out there, shoveling into three 40 gal.
trash cans in preparation, and that stuff is eaten up with
ants. And the ants became furious at the shoveling activity
and bit the hell outta me.

The 3 trash cans are just gonna sit there, 'cause frost is
probably 30 - 45 days away (South Carolina -- Zone 8).

WILL the cold kill the little rat *******s? IF I simply
leave it there until April, will the little biting things be
dead?

To prevent future outbreaks, I plan to fling a few handfuls,
amongst the layers, of ant killer pellets as I build up my
pile again. It makes me sad to introduce chemicals, but it
ain't fun to play in your compost pile if you have to battle
little creatures who hate your guts and are willing to prove
it with every shovel full.

Donna