mega fire ant bed

Beverly Taylor · Joined: 08 Oct 2003 Posts: 1

I have what seems to be a gigantic fire ant colony under my driveway. I have used every means known to eradicate them organically. I've used DE, molasses, compost tea/orange oil/molasses mix, benficial nematodes. Nothing is getting rid of them. I knock them down but not out. They are going to kill one of my major shade trees. At one point I ran the water hose into one of the mounds that showed up. I ran the water for about five minutes & had not filled the hole. No telling how big it is. Somebody please help!

Kathe Kitchens · Joined: 21 May 2003 Posts: 829 Location: Dallas,TX

My guess is you didn't use enough to get a large enough quantity of the mound, so try doing this mix again in five gallon quantity:

1 cup molasses
1 cup compost tea
1 cup cornmeal
1 oz. Orange TKO or 1 cup orange oil
to each gallon of water.

I used this amount to kill off a huge fire ant mound underneath the walkway at my daughter's school that a man told me had been there for 10 years. I took a 5 gallon bucket, a big funnel and used a 1 inch pvc pipe about 10 feet long, pushed it into the mound under the cement as much as I could, and poured until it was gone. YOu need to get the mixture into as many tunnels in the mound as possible and there are a ton of them!

I had treated it with compost/molasses/orange oil once before and knocked them down but for some reason adding the cornmeal to the second application knocked them out permanently. There are probably a load of queens in there so it may take two hits but don't give up!

Oh yes, and get some beneficial nematodes into the area either before or after you do this application. What the mix doesn't get, they will! :D 8) :D

The Ent · Joined: 19 Mar 2003 Posts: 784 Location: ,

Kathe Kitchens is right, and it wouldn't hurt to try putting some bait traps around it. Howard syas it's okay to use baits since they don't contaminate the soil.

nina norman · Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2003 1:10 pm Post subject: have you tried

to use boiling water? I know it probly sounds crazy but if you stick a funnel into a water hose and shove the hose as far as you can into the mound and pour every ounce of boiling water down there u can cook them. it works for me every time. mind u tho that i do put every pot and pan on my stove to boil water and c ontinue doing so for an hour til my back hurts from hauling all that water. and you can also use a think pvc pipe to get further if your hose won't get far enough down.

good luck

Nadine · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 1162 Location: Carrollton,TEXAS

Beverly Taylor wrote: I have what seems to be a gigantic fire ant colony under my driveway... Nothing is getting rid of them. I knock them down but not out. They are going to kill one of my major shade trees. No telling how big it is. Somebody please help!

I do not think the ants will kill your tree. If ants are on your tree it is because the tree is in stress. Pests and disease is nature's way of cleaning up, removing the plants which are unhealthy and/or weak. What Kathe is suggesting will help a great deal with the overall beneficial effect you are ultimately seeking. It will only work though, in an organic program. :wink: