Fire Ants?

[Newbee]

Hi All,

Got a Suburban Yankee here looking to relocate to the greener parts of Tennessee (Knoxville area), and one of the home's we're looking at has a Fire Ant problem. Being from up in NY, those types of ant's aren't a problem (LOVE that first hard frost every October…), though we do have several other kinds that are quite the nuisance, and hard to get rid of.

So my question is, for those w/ experience w/ Fire Ants, how hard are they to get rid of? Live With? Chemicals work? The property in question has obvious signs of nests under the back walkways and front walkways of the home, realtor confirmed they are fire-ants, and it's on well-water (so the nuclear option's out….) I've got kids, too, so simply leaving them be doesn't sound appealing.

How hard are they to get rid of, is that something you call the Orkin Man for and keep copies of the guarantee, or can I arm myself w/ 50-bucks at Lowe's and a respirator, and tell the kids to use the side-door for a few days (drink bottled water for a month?) Would having chickens/fowl on the property aide (but that rules out chemicals, no?)

Thanks for the info!

- K

[iddee]

Fire ants, mosquitoes, chiggers, gnats, snakes, and stray cats are a part of living in the south. You can fight them all you want, but you will not win.

[lazy shooter]

If you have fire ants, then you have fire ants.  They are the most insidious source of pollution known to man.  We have lived with fire ants for decades.  I hate to use toxic chemicals, but that is the only answer to fire ants.

I am using a product named "Extinguish Plus."  It is a bait.  The ants take it into their mounds, the queen eats it and dies, and the colony goes away.  Once it is broadcast over your property, the ants will disappear for several months.  Many poisons are available.  Some of them are contact poisons and some are baits.  I use the baits, as most of the contact poisons leave a serious residual in the ground for a long time.

As always, read the instructions carefully before purchasing.  They will be a constant in your life.  Also, they are a cousin to bees, and a rare few people are highly allergic to their stings.  Watch your people for a short time. 

Like bees, they give off an attack pheromone.  Be careful around mounds as many of the ants will get on you, and when you kill one accidentally or on purpose, the other bees will sting simultaneously.  They are a living hades, but you can live with them as several millions of Texans can attest to that fact.

lazy

[Newbee]

LOL! Dang it all, I told her the cold was good for more than just fires and Maple Syrup! 

Thanks for the info. I _believe_ I'm out of Chigger territory near Knoxville? Tick's can be bad I was told, guess the dog won't be getting winter's off the flea-med's…
I kind of assumed the ant's would simply be 'in the area', and while I could rid them of the immediate area around the home, I was concerned about the chemical issue and being on well-water there.

I recently read about natural treatments like cinnamon? Ever try Baking-Soda/Vinegar volcano's? Will they destroy a house that's a bit older (wood frame)? Haven't done a home inspection yet, just looked at it w/ the realtor, but I didn't see signs of them inside. Carpenter ant's can be a big problem here, and are also extremely difficult to rid oneself of. If I've got ants in the ground, it's one thing, eating up your home and barn… that's a bigger problem!

A friend near Nashville mentioned a neighbor has a flock of Guinea Fowl (?) for pest control? They're like Pheasants/Turkey's, and will roam up to 5-miles, roosting back in their home nightly, apparently great for ticks.... Anyone ever try something along those lines? Wifey's got her eye's on a group of egg-chickens if/when we move, so chemical-treatments will be limited to the initial attack (hit 'em Hard!) Will they work at all towards an IPM approach?

Thanks again!

- K

[iddee]

If you live in the city and sirens going off all night is the norm, guineas are great. You will think there is a 5 alarm fire every time something wakes them. They eat many insects, plus make great night watchmen.

[Slowmodem]

If you have fire ants, then you have fire ants.  They are the most insidious source of pollution known to man.  We have lived with fire ants for decades.  I hate to use toxic chemicals, but that is the only answer to fire ants.

Well, I agree with most of what you said.  However, i think kudzu is more insidious. 

You can't get rid of fire ants.  At best you can knock them back some.  i compare it to pressing down on a water bed.  You can push it down in one place, but it comes up somewhere else.  I have conceded that it will be an ongoing battle as long as I live here (after that, they win).

I have had some success with amdro.  I get it at Lowe's.  I usually step on the hill to get them mad (and improve my mood!     ) then sprinkle some on there.  They carry it back into the colony and it supposedly kills them.

Welcome to TN!  The Iris is the state flower and the Tulip Poplar is the state tree, but Kudzu should probably be the state plant, as it will eventually cover everything.   

[Slowmodem]

I _believe_ I'm out of Chigger territory near Knoxville? Tick's can be bad I was told, guess the dog won't be getting winter's off the flea-med's…

Ummmm, no.  Chiggers, ticks, and snakes are known to congregate around blackberries, but then can be found nearly anywhere.

[Newbee]

Thanks Slowmodem… approved for the mortgage, we haven't moved yet, LOL!

- K

[iddee]

OH, and let's not forget about poison ivy. It's great for helping you remove your skin by scratching, so you can grow a fresh new skin.     

[Newbee]

but Kudzu should probably be the state plant, as it will eventually cover everything.   

LOL! I hear ya. Somekinda hog wart's getting to be an issue here, haven't seen much Kudzu, yet, but I'm familiar with it.

- K

[Slowmodem]

but Kudzu should probably be the state plant, as it will eventually cover everything.   

LOL! I hear ya. Somekinda hog wart's getting to be an issue here, haven't seen much Kudzu, yet, but I'm familiar with it.

- K

LOL I think it's only known natural enemy is a goat.  Chattanooga had some kudzu eating goats but the coyotes ate a couple, so they had to put a mule (or maybe a donkey?) with them to protect them.

Here's kind of what kudzu looks like and will do if allowed:

[tbonekel]

Like Slow, I use a bait like Amdro. I kick the mound, then pour a little of the granules on it. They immediately start taking into the colony. Mound is gone. May not totally get rid of them forever, but it makes me feel better.

[lazy shooter]

Fire ants prosper with moisture.  Where we live in West Texas, there is very little moisture.  Fire ants are much less of a problem in the desert areas and a much greater problem along the coastal plains, where there is a huge annual rainfall.  There isn't enough cinnamon in the world to deter the fire ants from the greater Houston area. 

One bit of good news, fire ants eat and destroy tick populations.  There are no ticks of the Gulf Coast of Texas.  That is the only good news.