What would you suggest to get rid of Fire Ants in containers. Could I flush them out with lots of water from my hose?
Fire Ants in Containers
I will try that several times.
Also pocking the mount with a stick a few times (really fast and then dropping the stick and RUN).
I found out that if you bother their nest, eventually they will move away.
I normally pour hot water on them ... ouch ... but I will wait untill they move away from your plants ...
I don't like to use chemicals ..
I wouldsuggest that instead of hosing them, that you submerge the whole pot in
a latger nasin of water
also they dont like ammonia
be sure and move fast though !
mission accomplished. I flooded them with the hose three times this morning and I just check and they seem to be all gone. I poked and poked and nothing. This is the method I will use from now on because I always seen to get fire ants at one point or another in my containers. I also like the idea of immersing the container in a larger one filled with water and drowning them wich will work great for my smaller containers. With all the rain we've had lately I see a lot of mounds forming in the yard. I will be poking a hole in the middle of the mound and filling it with boiling water. This has worked for me in the past.
An organic treatment that I use is a couple of tablespoons of Orange Oil in two gallons of water and then drench the pots (or mounds). Kills them instead of just having them move away...and everything smells nice and citrus-y!
Dale Clark
Dallas County Lepidopterists' Society
www.dallasbutterflies.com
Another good remedy, thank you Dale.
I've found the best solution is to prevent them. I put the pots on drain trays or concrete pads.
I can monitor ant activity more easily and when the ants can't go from ground soil to pot soil,
they are less inclined to move into pots.
You will also find this type of activity more frequently after some good drenching rains.
They tend to look for higher ground which is why the watering will help discourage them.
Nothing better than picking up a pot to repot or move it and having a horde of fire ants pour out! I read diatamaceous earth might kill them too but no idea how long that would take.
C
I like the orange oil solution. I just happen to have a bottle it in the garage.
The soil has to be dry for DE to work, usually it takes two or three applications.
Where can we buy the pure orange oil? Everything I see locally has other ingredients that I don't want on my soil.
I got mine at Lowes.
I've heard they don't like granulated molasses.