Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Advice Needed Re Ortho Fire Ant Killer

Gentlemen and Ladies,

Fire Ants became a real PITA Monday night, I found them coming into the garage and subsequent storage room. Sprayed household bug spray on them, and swept them out of the inside area. I then proceeded to Lowes to purchase Ortho Fire Ant Killer for the front and backyard. I applied the killer granules, I did everything according to instructions:

1. Gently sprinkle � cup of product over, and 2 feet around, each mound.

2. To maximize product performance, slowly and gently water-in 1 to 2 gallons of water to limt run-off from the mound and to reduce the chance of disturbing the ants

Ortho says ants are destroyed in about 12 hours. Still some in front yard, but will take care of them tomorrow morning early.

Now my questions:

Is there anything else I can do to destroy them ? Or stop/repel them from wanting to camp out in the yard ?

When can the dog safely return to the yard after applications of the Fire Ant Killer Granules ?

Sorry about the questions, but we don't have these little buggers in Canada and I am basically relying on what I see on TV and read on line to try to stop/squash the problem.

Any and all help appreciated.

Thanks,

Lynn

Hate to be the one with bad news but....you can't really kill fire ants with chemicals that are legal today.

The best you can hope for is to apply enough poison to run them to your neighbor's yard.

AMDRO is your friend in the battle with fireants. It is the most effective killer you can legally buy.

Lynn
I have used a product called Over and Out for the last two years. It's a granule, and it has truly worked for me. One application lasts all summer here. Only fire ant product I've used that works as advertised
MC

Im 99% sure that's the stuff my old man uses when he's in Florida. It's a lot better than the Ortho he used to use.

George

fire ants are a serious subject. i think they devour the ticks and fleas in the yard.

beyond that, they're not much fun. there was a time that diazinon was a preventative. it's illegal now, i think. there was stuff known as Dursban that was somewhat effective. i think it's illegal now. Chlordane is out of the question also.

i've been bitten by fireants so many timees it's not even funny.

Mirax was an effective preventative. once upon a time we had the fireants stopped at the river (the Chattahoochee), but the gov't blinked in the face of the environmentalists, and the fireants swept into the communities.

now adays, just remember, the chemical companies don't want to find a 100 percent cure for fire ant infestations. it would destroy their market for fire ant control.

live with them, they're your friend.

I switch off between Amdro and Ortho Orthene every other application. Both work well, but I figure by switching back and forth, they won't as easily build a tolerance etc.

The bites aren't bad, But the STING can get infected and can scar.

Just be careful using it around pets.I use Ortho Orthene around mounds but not in area where my dogs are.I sprinkle Ortho Block around fences and foundation of my house once a month,that helps me keep them out of the yard and in the house.

I like the Amdro over Ortho. Ortho smells like a bad fart. Totally against the instructions, I kick the mound and sprinkle some on. That really pizzes off the ants and they take that stuff right on down to the queen to brag about their conquest.

Dust your yard pretty good with some Diatomaceous Earth and it will give the remaining ants knee problems.

Get a water hose.... turn up your water heater to max temp. Take the hose out, handle with care, attach to hot water line faucet, run HOT water boiling is even better, by the gallons, think 5 gallon bucket on each mound.

Has worked for us very well most of the time.

Beyond that, Amdro and be a bit patient with amdro.

DIatomaceous earth was going to be another guess on my part, as it does well with fleas and other critters, never thought to run it for fire ants but suspect if put all over yard it SHOULD dent them pretty good.

I use Amdro out here for the red,black ants.
My mother-in-law is allergic to them.It really keeps working.

Try one of these.

WORD!!

best you can hope to do is drive them somewhere else.

Lynn,

The active ingredient in AMDRO is hydramethylnon which is relatively tame if you aren't an ant. It's a slow acting pesticide intended to give the ants time to harvest the bait and distribute it throughout the colony - it can take a few days to kill the colony. Your dog could walk in the stuff without worry, just don't let the dog eat it.

Fact Sheet

well, there it is. we want to control the fireants, not eradicate them.

kinda like kudzu, i guess.

they're an invasive exotic. kinda like hogs gone wild.

or kudzu.

Try Splenda.
http://ecofriendlyhealth.tumblr.com...kill-ants-are-you-seriously-going-to-put

Splenda was �discovered� accidentally in a lab back in 1975 while trying to create a new insecticide (Ewww�who decided it was safe for human consumption? Oh yeah the FDA did back in 1998).
Whole Foods or Trader Joe�s will not sell Splenda or any product that contains �sucralose� because it does not fit within their code of ethics of selling �real food�. (Thank you Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe�s)
Sucralose, the made-up name by the manufacturer of Splenda, contains chlorinated compounds. (Ohhh�Splenda made up the name sucralose�because anything that ends on �ose� makes it sound like yummy sugar)
Chlorine is toxic and is not found in any food or table salt even though the manufacturer of Splenda will tell you it is fine. However there is chloride present in food and table salt, which is non-toxic. (Very sneaky Splenda makers)
Chlorine, (which we now know is in Splenda), has caused so much damage to human health that Greenpeace has launched a Chlorine-Free Campaign, calling for a worldwide ban on chlorine. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also maintains a strong anti-chlorine stance. (Did you know that cancer patients have high levels of chlorine in their bodies?)
If you really want some motivation for staying away from Splenda and anything that contains it (example: Weight Watchers, Atkins and South Beach, flavored waters, Crystal Light, diet drinks anything �diet� or labeled as �sugar-free�, �low in sugar� or no sugar� typically contains it. Yes, this includes your kids� favorite �no-sugar� Hawaiian Punch) and if you are a future mother, read all about baby boys being born with shortened male anatomy due to chlorine passed to them in the womb. (and we want to do this to our unborn children, why?)
Studies show that people that consumed diet drinks were 41% more likely to be overweight than those who did not. (so diet drinks and foods are sabatoging our weight loss efforts? Seems like an oxymoron to me)
Reblogged from Healthier Ever

They are fire ants after all

What's this "We" chit,......?

GTC

Move to Antartica it is the only place that is safe from fire ants , until the fire ants get fur parkas that is.


Mike