Darn fire ants!!

[DoctorPotterWho]

I just can't shake them!! I have literally tried everything!!! I thought they moved once, but they've only covered the previous area and the new area. Boric acid didn't kill them, DE didn't kill them, Bait in a mason jar with holes didn't kill them. These mother summa's are not moving!!!! Is it okay to treat that area with a fire ant killer? I purchased Orthene fire ant killer powder. I figured maybe I could sprinkle on the ant mounts, wait several days, hose it down several times then cover it with cypress mulch? I have cypress mulch on the other end of the enclosure and the ants haven't gone anywhere near it. An employee at Ace Hardware told me Cypress mulch is a natural insect repellent.

 

[wellington]

My friend that lives in AZ uses whole cloves, like you stick in hams, to keep ants out of her house. Now, they aren't fire ants that are coming in, but the cloves might work on them. Works great on the kind she does get.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I use fire ant specific granules in my yard.
My tortoises do not get into my yard as a rule.
It took quite some time to defeat them.
I treat the yard and bait the pen. I DO still have some "sugar"ants. They don't bite.
You are certain you have fire ants? I mean once you've been bitten, you know. And yes. Fire ants require a special granule.

 

[DoctorPotterWho]

I use fire ant specific granules in my yard.
My tortoises do not get into my yard as a rule.
It took quite some time to defeat them.
I treat the yard and bait the pen. I DO still have some "sugar"ants. They don't bite.
You are certain you have fire ants? I mean once you've been bitten, you know. And yes. Fire ants require a special granule.

Oh yeah, They are big mean red fire ants. I've tried bating them and nothing is working. If I used the granules on this particular side of the enclosure, after they die can I just flush the area several times? I could probably even dig out the grass and add new grass (We have a lot from building the enclosure).

 

[Speedy-1]

I have heard that ants don't like cinnamon or vinegar ! Cheap enough if its true . A lot of things will repel them but that's a temporary fix. I might move the enclosure to an "ant free" area and continue the battle !

 

[DoctorPotterWho]

I have heard that ants don't like cinnamon or vinegar ! Cheap enough if its true . A lot of things will repel them but that's a temporary fix. I might move the enclosure to an "ant free" area and continue the battle !

I have plenty of cinnamon. I tried Vinegar today too. =)

 

[DoctorPotterWho]

I use fire ant specific granules in my yard.
My tortoises do not get into my yard as a rule.
It took quite some time to defeat them.
I treat the yard and bait the pen. I DO still have some "sugar"ants. They don't bite.
You are certain you have fire ants? I mean once you've been bitten, you know. And yes. Fire ants require a special granule.

What product do you use to bait inside the pen? I have searched high and low for red ant bait traps. The granules didn't work for me. I was hoping there was some (protein) bait traps I could place in the mason jars.

Thanks =)

 

[DoctorPotterWho]

This morning I have stirred up the ants and dumped 2 large pots of boiling water on them , I have baited with Boric acid sugar water solution on cotton balls in a container and also boric acid sugar water solution on oatmeal in a container. I have also just covered the whole area with corn meal. They have literally taken over 3/4 of the enclosure. I have noticed a lot of lizards are inside of the enclosure picking off the ants. I hope they don't die from eating ants exposed to the boric acid.

 

[Speedy-1]

I don't want to give you any crazy ideas . But I worked in maintenance and we had a torch attached to a propane tank. Originally used to thaw ice up north , and when we found a hill starting we just fried those little demons with that torch !

 

[Yvonne G]

I went into my garden shed yesterday to put away a tool and as I was walking away started feeling the sting of ants all over my ankles. I was covered with them. After getting them all off, I went back over my path to see where I picked them up. There's a crack in the cement that the shed sits on and little piles of dirt all along that crack. I had to stand on it for a minute or two while I opened the shed door. So I went and got the Raid (no turtles or tortoises in this area). I sprayed the crack and all around where the ants were.

This a.m. I took another look at that crack in the cement and there were hundreds of dead ant bodies piled up that the left over living ants picked up and moved out of their crack. I sprayed again today, paying particular attention trying to get as much as possible down into the dirt under the crack. Pesky little buggers.

 

[DoctorPotterWho]

I went into my garden shed yesterday to put away a tool and as I was walking away started feeling the sting of ants all over my ankles. I was covered with them. After getting them all off, I went back over my path to see where I picked them up. There's a crack in the cement that the shed sits on and little piles of dirt all along that crack. I had to stand on it for a minute or two while I opened the shed door. So I went and got the Raid (no turtles or tortoises in this area). I sprayed the crack and all around where the ants were.

This a.m. I took another look at that crack in the cement and there were hundreds of dead ant bodies the the left over living ants picked up and moved out of their crack. I sprayed again today, paying particular attention trying to get as much as possible down into the dirt under the crack. Pesky little buggers.

I am glad you found them. I absolutely hate these dang things. What are they good for? LOL

 

[Yvonne G]

Well, they can clean the meat off a skeleton in hours!

 

[DoctorPotterWho]

Well, they can clean the meat off a skeleton in hours!

HAHA this is true!

 

[MichaelaW]

The only stuff that really works is Siesta Insecticide Fire Ant Bait available only from certain landscape supply stores. I live in South Texas. Believe me, fire ants are BAD here and this stuff works!

 

[GingerLove]

Hey, I don't know much about how to get rid of a fire ant (I just know how it SMARTS when bit!), but Aldabraman uses grits and sprinkles it around the pen. He never seems to have a fire ant problem, and it's safe for his tortoises. I hope something works!

 

[Fredkas]

Oh i hate fire ants!!! I had to pour hot water to the soil and kill my grasses too to get rid of them once. But mine is simple because it is closed enclosure and that already made me angry!!

 

[DoctorPotterWho]

The only stuff that really works is Siesta Insecticide Fire Ant Bait available only from certain landscape supply stores. I live in South Texas. Believe me, fire ants are BAD here and this stuff works!

How do you put it in the enclosure? Mason Jar with holes in the top of the lid? It's a bait, right? So they will seek it out?

 

[DoctorPotterWho]

Hey, I don't know much about how to get rid of a fire ant (I just know how it SMARTS when bit!), but Aldabraman uses grits and sprinkles it around the pen. He never seems to have a fire ant problem, and it's safe for his tortoises. I hope something works!

Thanks! I did that 2 days ago and some were taking it, but today they were still crawling around everywhere. =(

 

[MichaelaW]

How do you put it in the enclosure? Mason Jar with holes in the top of the lid? It's a bait, right? So they will seek it out?

For one nest I put it right outside the enclosure because they were going in and out that way. The second nest I put it behind an item in the enclosure where I knew the tortoises would not get to it. But literally, you only need a tiny sprinkle. If even one granule makes it to the queen, they all die.

 

[DoctorPotterWho]

For one nest I put it right outside the enclosure because they were going in and out that way. The second nest I put it behind an item in the enclosure where I knew the tortoises would not get to it. But literally, you only need a tiny sprinkle. If even one granule makes it to the queen, they all die.

Thank you very much!!! I am going to get some!