• Join Home Gardening Forum

How to get rid of Fire Ants?

reddog5

New Member
Messages
9
Planting Zone
7
Help, what works these days...........nothing I buy seems to kill anymore. Have they cut the juice in half?
 

reddog5

New Member
Messages
9
Planting Zone
7
Well, I have no desire to immortalize the bastards in bronze..........looking for a scorched earth approach in my yard!!
 

w_r_ranch

Master Gardener
Administrator
Moderator
Plus Member
Messages
6,450
Location
South Central Texas
Planting Zone
8b
Many contact insecticides which include acephate (Orthene), carbaryl (Sevin), fipronil (Over ‘N Out), pyrethrins, pyrethroids (bifethrin, cyfluthrin, cypermethrin, deltamethrin, lambda-cyhalothin, permethrin, es-fenvalerate, tefluthrin or tralomethrin) & liquid fipronil or spinosad. are designed for the homeowner. They are widely available in retail stores, garden centers & farm/ranch supply stores (Wal-Mart, Lowe’s, Home Depot, CoOp, Tractor Supply, etc.). They are sold in small containers with enough material to cover a home yard. These ingredients vary in how fast they kill ants & how long they persist in the environment. Natural pyrethrins or synthetic pyrethroid ingredients kill ants in minutes. Acephate & carbaryl take a day or so, while granular fipronil may take 4-6 weeks to eliminate colonies. Hot water, pyrethrins, d-limonene treatments have little or no lasting effect. Carbaryl & acephate break down in a matter of days to weeks, while pyrethroids can persist for weeks to months & fipronil can persist for months to a year. Each product has its pros & cons... but all of them work.

If you have an Texas Applicator's License, there are products that you can use that are not available to the public... let me know if you have one.
 

Texas T

Active Member
Messages
32
Location
Pearland Texas
Planting Zone
9A
We use Orthene from Ortho on the mound. Kick it the next day and they are dead or got the dying quivers,
Oh yeah stay upwind it stinks.
 
E

ElviraBaldwin

Guest
Good knowledge of chemicals. But we can use it by our own or shall we contact a pest expert to use them for killing insects like fire ants? I am asking this because my aunt had a pest problem few days ago and she contacted pest controllers from pest control Elk Grove and they helped her out in getting rid of pests. She told that they just don't spray at home, but they work on the areas from where insects are entering your home.
 
E

Ella Rollins

Guest
I used to broadcast fire ant bait over the entire area a couple of times during the warm months. I use advion fire ant bait which is very effective..
 
I

IrinaGrant

Guest
I use Spinosad. But I like also D-Limonene, it is safe product, therefore my plants will be safe also.
Source
 
M

miss_somebody

Guest
Last edited by a moderator:
Top