Fire ants in the garden...

[IkemanTX]

I've never tried it but I've heard that coffee grounds will make ants move. They don't like it for whatever reason.

I have been amending my garden soil with coffee grounds for 2 years now. I have put several hundred pounds of grounds on 100 square feet between adding them to the soil raw and using them as a nitrogen source for my compost. It has helped in so many ways, but it hasn't helped with the ants :-(

The best thing I have found so far is Diatomaceous Earth, but it only works until it gets wet.


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[IkemanTX]

I refuse to use any of the chemicals on my vegetable garden. Most of them expressly list not to be used around food items. I may just bite the bullet and get some of the nematodes that eat the eggs. They are pricy, but I hear they work for a couple years at a time.


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[tex4k]

I've heard a lot of good things about the orange oil mound drench, but haven't used it, fire ants aren't a regular problem around here but ever once in a while they want to try to move in.

[mikemorvan]

I don't know how many mounds you're dealing with, but pouring a pot of boiling hot water on the mounds will do the trick. Kills most, the rest will bug out. May be too much trouble on a large area.

[sailor]

Don't plant okra. Not sure what it is about that plant but fire ants LOVE them.

That's a Fact -Jack......

[SaltwaterSlick]

Just did some reading on sites selling these beneficial nematodes... Pretty fascinating "technology"... Nature is a VERY complex thing!! The description of how the nematodes kill and eat their prey could give rise to some really gruesome horror films!! I may have to give this pest control a try.

[dustoffer]

Boiling water with a few drops of organic dish soap works pretty good.

Best bet--but lots of it.

[IkemanTX]

Best bet--but lots of it.

Hard to do this in a densely planted bed though. I pretty much always have something growing in the garden, so the boiling water would decimate a pretty large area of plants. I can't see losing any less than 6-8 square feet from foliage or root damage.



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[dgrantlpc]

Nematodes, liquid molasses (gives the nemotodes energy) are the perfect combo. They kill ticks and fleas as well

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[NAVY CHIEF]

Ascend fire ant bait....buy from pest control company...

[stevieray54]

I have a torch that hooks on to my propane bottle for starting charcoal in my smoker,i get them all riled up and exposed and blast them with that for a couple min and bye bye roasted ants. also burns brush around fences will leave burn spots in your yard e carefull

[Mike Murphey]

Going organic you need to be careful...I use 1 oz of orange oil to 1 gallon of water to drench the mound....the orange oil will kill the mound...

[bowhunterchris]

Demon from Tractor supply. Dead in fifteen minutes.

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[grassmaster]

Break down and get some termidor or TopChoice. The use rate for that area would be extremely low and the stuff flat out works. While organic is nice, there are certain pests that you will never fully control organically. Red Imported Fire Ants are at the top of that list.

[IkemanTX]

Break down and get some termidor or TopChoice. The use rate for that area would be extremely low and the stuff flat out works. While organic is nice, there are certain pests that you will never fully control organically. Red Imported Fire Ants are at the top of that list.

Both of those specifically state not to treat on, or near, edible plants. This is directly within edible plant plantings. I'm not organic on my lawn or landscape beds, but the actual food I eat will not get poisons... especially if the manufacturers specifically instruct not applying it in those areas.


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