Hi,

This may have come up in the newsgroup earlier. What is the
safest way of getting rid of fire ants? BTW how do I access
the archives for this newsgroup? Thanks.

Regards,

Shyamal

"Shyamal Mitra" wrote in message
...
BTW how do I access
the archives for this newsgroup? Thanks.

Google -- here is the link for austin.gardening

http://groups.google.com/groups?dq=&...dening&start=0

Shyamal Mitra wrote:

Hi,

This may have come up in the newsgroup earlier. What is the
safest way of getting rid of fire ants? BTW how do I access
the archives for this newsgroup? Thanks.

Regards,

Shyamal

Easiest way to access the archives is google: http://tinyurl.com/o9sy .
Type "fire ant" and choose "Search only in austin.gardening" .

Personally, I've spread some Logic, which is like birth control for fire
ants. If you're having trouble with them in one particular place, you
might try mixing brown sugar and boric acid 50/50. (If you can't find
"boric acid", look for "RoachPrufe"; same thing.) Put some in a bottle
cap or jar lid; the ants seem to like it better if you put just a drop
or two of water on it.

Good luck!

Dale

Well, the best way is to make them move without killing them because in reality,
they are great soil aerator insects. If you want to kill them, you can use
Logic, which is a bait they eat and eventually it will kill the mound in a week
or so. There is also molasses mixed with manure tea, or compost tea you can buy
by the gallon at the Natural Gardener www.naturalgardeneraustin.com or any
number of ways using orange oil, etc.

namaste,
Victoria


On 22 Sep 2003 15:48:59 -0500, (Shyamal Mitra) opined:


Hi,

This may have come up in the newsgroup earlier. What is the
safest way of getting rid of fire ants? BTW how do I access
the archives for this newsgroup? Thanks.

Regards,

Shyamal

On Mon, 22 Sep 2003 16:09:44 -0500, dt opined:



Easiest way to access the archives is google: http://tinyurl.com/o9sy .
Type "fire ant" and choose "Search only in austin.gardening" .

Personally, I've spread some Logic, which is like birth control for fire
ants. If you're having trouble with them in one particular place, you
might try mixing brown sugar and boric acid 50/50. (If you can't find
"boric acid", look for "RoachPrufe"; same thing.) Put some in a bottle
cap or jar lid; the ants seem to like it better if you put just a drop
or two of water on it.

Good luck!

Dale

Just as an aside, boric acid is boron and is contaminating to soil and can be
detrimental to soil organisms, so be careful not to use it in that way. Inside
the house it's a great product, but soil can easily be toxic after that is used
in too high a quantity.

V

Well, the best way is to make them move without killing them because in reality,
they are great soil aerator insects. If you want to kill them, you can use
Logic, which is a bait they eat and eventually it will kill the mound in a week
or so. There is also molasses mixed with manure tea, or compost tea you can buy
by the gallon at the Natural Gardener www.naturalgardeneraustin.com or any
number of ways using orange oil, etc.

namaste,
Victoria


On 22 Sep 2003 15:48:59 -0500, (Shyamal Mitra) opined:


Hi,

This may have come up in the newsgroup earlier. What is the
safest way of getting rid of fire ants? BTW how do I access
the archives for this newsgroup? Thanks.

Regards,

Shyamal

On Mon, 22 Sep 2003 16:09:44 -0500, dt opined:



Easiest way to access the archives is google: http://tinyurl.com/o9sy .
Type "fire ant" and choose "Search only in austin.gardening" .

Personally, I've spread some Logic, which is like birth control for fire
ants. If you're having trouble with them in one particular place, you
might try mixing brown sugar and boric acid 50/50. (If you can't find
"boric acid", look for "RoachPrufe"; same thing.) Put some in a bottle
cap or jar lid; the ants seem to like it better if you put just a drop
or two of water on it.

Good luck!

Dale

Just as an aside, boric acid is boron and is contaminating to soil and can be
detrimental to soil organisms, so be careful not to use it in that way. Inside
the house it's a great product, but soil can easily be toxic after that is used
in too high a quantity.

V

"Shyamal Mitra" wrote in message

Hi,

This may have come up in the newsgroup earlier. What is the
safest way of getting rid of fire ants? BTW how do I access
the archives for this newsgroup? Thanks.

Regards,

Shyamal

I'm pretty much in line with what everyone else here has said. Start with a
bait. Make sure you don't apply the bait before a rain and make sure not to
water your lawn for about 24 hrs. Try not to apply bait and poison in the
same day. Don't over apply the bait. A little bit will do ya'. If you do
use poison only apply it directly to the mound. Don't spray your whole
lawn!

If the ants are getting in the house apply poison to the entry points. A
little bit will do as fire ants aren't big fans of the inside of your house
to begin with. (Side Note: Never treat sugar ants with poison. Bait only).

As for which poison to use that's really your call. In agreement with the
other posters, Boric acid is usually best for inside use (crawl spaces,
ect.). Boric acid takes a really long time to break down and could be
causing trouble in your lawn for a long long time.

If you really need to apply poison to the mound try dousing the mound with a
liquid poison. Look for something that is effective for about a month at
max. Keep in mind that dousing a mound with poison will work in the short
term, but the bait is really what's going to do the trick.

Never apply bait and poison in the same areas.

Hope this helps.

Dave

Shyamal Mitra wrote:

Hi,

This may have come up in the newsgroup earlier. What is the
safest way of getting rid of fire ants? BTW how do I access
the archives for this newsgroup? Thanks.

You should also check the archives of alt.consumers.pest-control.

8^)~~~ Sue (remove the x to e-mail)
~~~~~~

"I reserve the absolute right to be smarter
today than I was yesterday." -Adlai Stevenson
*************************************************
http://www.suzanne-eckhardt.com/
http://www.intergnat.com/malebashing/

There is a new organic fire ant bait available. I bought mine at Wal-Mart. I
have used it recently and it works! You can read more about it he

http://agnews.tamu.edu/fireants/stories/organic.htm

Go Aggies!


"Shyamal Mitra" wrote in message
...

Hi,

This may have come up in the newsgroup earlier. What is the
safest way of getting rid of fire ants? BTW how do I access
the archives for this newsgroup? Thanks.

Regards,

Shyamal

Tonight we're watching K Street (holy cow, what a show) and noticed our Macaw
was acting weird. I looked around and for the first time in ten years, living
in Texas, we had fire ants walking in near the fire place. I got so flustered I
immediately got the vacuum out and my husband found how they were getting in,
but they were up on our birds gym area. They were taking the food and making
their way up to her. Either she was bitten, or was acting strange because they
were there, we don't know. She showed no swelling and I always groom the
feather sheaths on her head so she lets me examine her under the magnifying
light.

Anyway, that's my fire ant story. They are the only insect I cannot tolerate in
or out. They are very bad, I'm allergic to them. Needless to say, there is a
bead of boric acid around the patio up near the rock on the house and I used a
relatively new product which uses a powerful mint concoction, but is organically
okay. Tomorrow I'll buy some bait and that will be that.

I did want to warn people about Amdro. They used to sell a toxic bait, but now
they are selling something else, still calling it Amdro, but I believe it is not
what you buy in those pound containers for 9 dollars. This new Amdro has a neuro
toxin, or some type organophosphate, not good.

If you want to be as toxic free (to the environment) as possible, labels must be
read. The pesticide industry is never to be trusted.
And I mean NEVER. Not the organic products, nothing should be assumed. They
sell pyrethrum, but if there is PBO (pipernol butoxide) in it, it's a relatively
dangerous synergist...the beat goes on.

Victoria

Tonight we're watching K Street (holy cow, what a show) and noticed our Macaw
was acting weird. I looked around and for the first time in ten years, living
in Texas, we had fire ants walking in near the fire place. I got so flustered I
immediately got the vacuum out and my husband found how they were getting in,
but they were up on our birds gym area. They were taking the food and making
their way up to her. Either she was bitten, or was acting strange because they
were there, we don't know. She showed no swelling and I always groom the
feather sheaths on her head so she lets me examine her under the magnifying
light.

Anyway, that's my fire ant story. They are the only insect I cannot tolerate in
or out. They are very bad, I'm allergic to them. Needless to say, there is a
bead of boric acid around the patio up near the rock on the house and I used a
relatively new product which uses a powerful mint concoction, but is organically
okay. Tomorrow I'll buy some bait and that will be that.

I did want to warn people about Amdro. They used to sell a toxic bait, but now
they are selling something else, still calling it Amdro, but I believe it is not
what you buy in those pound containers for 9 dollars. This new Amdro has a neuro
toxin, or some type organophosphate, not good.

If you want to be as toxic free (to the environment) as possible, labels must be
read. The pesticide industry is never to be trusted.
And I mean NEVER. Not the organic products, nothing should be assumed. They
sell pyrethrum, but if there is PBO (pipernol butoxide) in it, it's a relatively
dangerous synergist...the beat goes on.

Victoria

Some info I gleaned from Butterfly Gardening for the South by Geyata
Ajilvsgi.

"Fire ants continaully move their larvae and queen within the mound to
regulate temperatire. Midmorning to early evening is the best time to
treat the mound in the spring, for the anys will have the larvae near
the top of the mound to receive the warmth. During the summer they are
only near the surface only during the cooler mornings or late evenings.

If you like fruit, orange, grapefruit or lemon rind blended up in a
blender and mixed with water is toxic for them. Safer's soap can be
added also. Remove as much of the white inner liner linning of the rind
before grinding.

If you use boiling water, sneak up on the mound quietly and gently.
Ground tremors send them downwards.

J. Kolenovsky


Shyamal Mitra wrote:
=

Hi,
=

This may have come up in the newsgroup earlier. What is the
safest way of getting rid of fire ants? BTW how do I access
the archives for this newsgroup? Thanks.
=

Regards,
=

Shyamal

-- =

J. Kolenovsky, A+, Network +, MCP
=F4=BF=F4 - http://www.celestialhabitats.com - business
=F4=BF=F4 - http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden/personal.html - personal

Some info I gleaned from Butterfly Gardening for the South by Geyata
Ajilvsgi.

"Fire ants continaully move their larvae and queen within the mound to
regulate temperatire. Midmorning to early evening is the best time to
treat the mound in the spring, for the anys will have the larvae near
the top of the mound to receive the warmth. During the summer they are
only near the surface only during the cooler mornings or late evenings.

If you like fruit, orange, grapefruit or lemon rind blended up in a
blender and mixed with water is toxic for them. Safer's soap can be
added also. Remove as much of the white inner liner linning of the rind
before grinding.

If you use boiling water, sneak up on the mound quietly and gently.
Ground tremors send them downwards.

J. Kolenovsky


Shyamal Mitra wrote:
=

Hi,
=

This may have come up in the newsgroup earlier. What is the
safest way of getting rid of fire ants? BTW how do I access
the archives for this newsgroup? Thanks.
=

Regards,
=

Shyamal

-- =

J. Kolenovsky, A+, Network +, MCP
=F4=BF=F4 - http://www.celestialhabitats.com - business
=F4=BF=F4 - http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden/personal.html - personal

Some info I gleaned from Butterfly Gardening for the South by Geyata
Ajilvsgi.

"Fire ants continaully move their larvae and queen within the mound to
regulate temperatire. Midmorning to early evening is the best time to
treat the mound in the spring, for the anys will have the larvae near
the top of the mound to receive the warmth. During the summer they are
only near the surface only during the cooler mornings or late evenings.

If you like fruit, orange, grapefruit or lemon rind blended up in a
blender and mixed with water is toxic for them. Safer's soap can be
added also. Remove as much of the white inner liner linning of the rind
before grinding.

If you use boiling water, sneak up on the mound quietly and gently.
Ground tremors send them downwards.

J. Kolenovsky


Shyamal Mitra wrote:
=

Hi,
=

This may have come up in the newsgroup earlier. What is the
safest way of getting rid of fire ants? BTW how do I access
the archives for this newsgroup? Thanks.
=

Regards,
=

Shyamal

-- =

J. Kolenovsky, A+, Network +, MCP
=F4=BF=F4 - http://www.celestialhabitats.com - business
=F4=BF=F4 - http://www.hal-pc.org/~garden/personal.html - personal