Rid Your Garden/House of FIREANTS or Sugar Ants!!!!

I found this great article online and thought it's worth a shot!

I have so many ants that just won't go away that I'm game to try anything!

Im going to try it too cuz I have both carpenter and fire ants. Hope it works for me

Thanks TNN, it's worth a try, I would rather use that than other poisons.

Thanks for the info...so I would think that sprinkling the aspartame on the mound and then follow with a sprinkling of water would be the thing to do!

Now,...I'm curious....did I miss something....why would the writer caution against putting Nutrasweet in your mouth....or recommend wearing latex gloves? That
concerns me....that it's used as a sweetener,
consumed by mouth....and yet it warrants such a warning.

Should the sweetner not work for you, and I haven't tried it, consider picking up a little bottle of Terro. We first came across this product while visiting Trinidad. It cleared "sugar" ants from my mother's kitchen after she tried every product and even had the professionals try. I was delighted to find the product in Loews a couple of weeks ago - a 1 oz bottle for $2.47. Just a few drops somewhere along the ants path is all it takes.

The drops are clear but you'll know exactly where you put them because they will turn black with eager ants. The odd thing is, our ants cleaned themselves up. I thought my wife had wiped the dead ants away (she was pretty sure I hadn't!) because they were gone the next morning. Either the ants headed back to their nest to die or the last few living ones took the dead ones home to munch on.

Anyway, for $2.50 we got rid of our sugar ants and still have a lifetime of product remaining in the tiny bottle.

Carl

Wow!!! I am going to try this as we get so many different kinds of ants especially the fire ants. Thanks a lot for this information. Will try today and let you know the results. Fran

Wow, this has had a great response! I hope it works on ants myself and will try it to.

Willis, I would suppose the author in writing about it as a "poison" just wanted to waiver any liability should you eat it....I'm not quite sure!

I understand.... :~) Actually,...I wasn't concerned about the legitimacy of the warning.....but rather that it IS something we should be aware of....and why is it available as a human dietary supplement?

I guess I should have said that I'm concerned that the writer (Jan?) knows enough about the aspartame that he/she felt compelled to warn everyone about it.....that perhaps,....in fact, it is a form of poison that COULD have ill effects on humans as well.

I'm going to read more about aspartame....

Very interesting.......I'm definitely going to try this on my beloved fire ants!

There will always be a big response when it comes to fire ants, they are an abomination!
Can we all say that we hate them more than anything in the world?

LOL.....My hand is raised! :)

Still the quickest, most effective and least toxic remedy for fireants, IMO, is boiling water. A teakettle full poured directly into the entrance hole kills the pests and demolishes the mound. A really huge mound should get a second kettleful just to be sure. It really works.

I try never to let them overrun to the point of SEEING the huge mounds. But I've seen marching trains of them along my walkway so I'll have to get some nutrasweet this weekend myself!

And Willis, I asked DH about the warning. He said there actually IS a warning ON the nutrasweet label (I've never eaten it so can't vouch for it) but he said it reads that it causes cancer in lab animals. And I know this label is also see on Carefree gum so I'm guessing there is truth to it. Pretty scary!

Yes,...it is scary...I don't knowingly consume any product that contains aspartame or any other artificial sweetener - biggest culprit, I think,...is soft drinks and gums - candies.....I'll be more attentive in the future.
Remember when Dr Pepper was made with cane sugar? Golden days back then....wished I'd known then......you know the rest :~)

Yuska - I agree with you about the boiling water...it is effective....problem is ...trying to carry boiling water a long ways away from the house...we have a few acres
and it's an ongoing effort to try & control them....guess I'm looking for a more convenient method and still keep it somewhat safe for me & everyone else.

Willis or Yuska,

Do either of you have a link to any info to verify the boiling water method? I've heard it only disperses the ants and they make a new mound elsewhere.

Willis,

I remember in H.S. reading the Carefree gum label to a friend who'd just offered me a piece from a new pack. She thought I was KIDDING and once she read it asked who wanted the rest of the gum! LOL. And you know how kids love gum....someone took it.

thank you, thank you, thank you, Tir_! I don't use any sugar or sweeteners in my tea...but I'll definitely try a packet or 2 of nutrasweet....gawd, anything to get rid of the little rascals! :p
Melanie

TxT, I know right! You are more than welcome...figured I'd try a small pack from the grocery store and if this really works I'll buy in bulk at Sam's! =)

TNN -Can't remember when I first read or heard about it....think my Mother told me....but I think the key is to have enough boiling water to saturate & penetrate the mound (Yuska recommended a 2nd pot or kettle full to get all of the mound if it is a large one) and be sure to get the outer fringe of the mound usually hidden if in grass. I've tried it before (and as Yuska has stated....it works) I don't know of any link to verify our claim.

I do know that boiling water is relatively cheap compared to many of the various commercial insecticides that (from my past experiments) didn't
totally eradicate the little "enemies" of the mound,
(usually another smaller mound appears a short distance away). Considering so many people have indicated that if anyone knows of a good, safe way to eliminate the sweet little fireants...others have had the same problem. So,...if,...the same problem does occur for someone using boiling water....same result - much less expensive. :~) Try adding the peels of a couple of oranges to the BW - Orange peel oil does them harm as well. Put an orange peel on top of a mound and they will move....they don't like it! I've also had success (again, limited) using some of the "orange oil" cleanser solutions available.
Whichever method used,...if a fewer number relocate
and build a smaller mound....follow up and HIT 'EM AGAIN! Usually only takes a second application. Hope this helps. I WILL be trying the Aspartame! How convenient that would be!

Thanks Willis! It does sound like you've tried everything. =)

I know what you mean about the chemical products not always being effective! We bought some of the ONCE A YEAR granuales: SAVE YOUR MONEY, it honestly didn't work for even 1 whole season! DH prefers 7 dust if he's going with something terrible...Lowe's quit carrying it over the summer but it's back in now. If the Nutra doesn't get 'em, the dust will. =)

The success of the boiling water treatment may vary with the type of fire ant that is present.....yes, there is more than one kind! The ones here are red, and I believe they are the imported type. There are black ones and some that were native to the southeast. Also, some types have mounds with single queens and others have multiple queens. Temperature affects their activity greatly. They prefer soil that has been disturbed - it's easier to burrow. That's why they like our gardens and compost heaps, and new subdivisions where the lots were recently bulldozed. A single ant can sting more than once, and the workers spring into action within seconds of a threat to the mound. Texas A&M has done much research on the fire ant - here is a write-up on first aid for stings - http://snipurl.com/wu9k - and many related articles are available.

The BW method works here when I start pouring directly into the entrance hole, and then work outward. I believe that hits the queen and workers first, and I rarely have seen new activity nearby as though they had merely moved. I only had two mounds this season, but that's no guarantee they won't be back. Yuska

Hey all, I did a search on fire ants.....soooooooo disappointed to read there are many types of fire ant. I wonder how long it takes them to travel? Yikes.

It also talked about the boiling water method...effective 60% of the time with about 3 gallons of boiling water per mound...so it says anyway.

http://www.nature.nps.gov/biology/ipm/manual/fireants.cfm

This one talks about "Native Texas Fireants" and "imported ones". It says the natives aren't as problematic. Yeah, sure!

http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~gilbert/research/fireants/faqans.html

Thanks Yuska,

I was doing my searching at the time you were posting! Sorry for the duplicate info folks. =)

The more info the better....as with so many of life's annoyances, there is usually more than one solution. That part re the horned toad's disappearance is something I had wondered about.

There is one thing to think about when using the boiling water method- any plant that gets boiling water on it will die. Would be great for those pesky little buggers who live in the cracks on my driveway though.

And Fly I can think of very few, if any, creatures that I hate more than Fire Ants!

Fireants will also fell baby calves and fawns...and anything else small and weak enough not able to repell them. I hate them too....and I'm known to be extra gentle with all wildlife...but anything that can move into an area as a non-native and do so much destruction is a critter I'm out to destroy.... I hate using poisons tho...and I try not to if I can, being the last resort for a problem. So I may try the Nutrasweet....no, in fact....I AM going to try it...lol
Melanie

If I'm not mistaken,....the decline of the Bobwhite Quail is directly attributed to the invasion of fireants...and I think Cottontail Rabbits.... I remember reading an article about these particular creatures being decimated....it also addressed what you mentioned, Melanie....the young calves and fawns.....and believe it or not,...once in a blue moon.....humans.
When I was a baby,...many moons ago,.....I sat down on top of a mound of the red kind.....result was a large area of boils (I think they called it a "carbuncle"?) in a tender area.... so bad, it was,...a doctor decided to "lance" the carbuncle. Anyway,....all my life,...I guess I've had a deep-seated resentment :~) pun intended lol BTW - I was too young to remember this....but my
Mom occasionally tells the story...usually when the subject of "pain in the posterior" comes up.

Would these little monsters fall under the category of "Subterranean Terrorism"?

ROFL! I think so Willis!

I had no idea they've been known to take down cattle! That is terrible! Or that they can repeatedly sting. But they do die once they've stung something right? At least they do if it was ME!!!! Hehe.

We didn't have these up in Michigan yet. I have fond memories of playing with small harmless ants up there as a kid.

Fire Ants are the one thing that I will use chemicals on in my yard -- they are given no reprieve or mercy. I've had good luck with the Ortho fireant dust. I had good luck with the organic orange oil too, except that I mixed it too strong and it killed some of my St Augustine grass.

One word of caution ... be certain that what you're killing are Fire Ants. Our Texas natives can look just like them, and are very beneficial in our yards and flowerbeds. If I see small red/black ants roaming around, I usually test them by putting my hand down. The native ants will ignore it. Any non-FireAnt ant in my yard is welcome.

Carla

Carla,

Thanks for the tip on how to tell the good lil' ants from the fire ones! I have often wondered....

I have a question about ants for ya'll.

I have found this red/brown ant in my house....mostly in an upstairs room that was empty...and a couple in the kitchen, in all only about 10 so far. They have really round big bottoms but otherwise look like a "normal" ant (I know it's not a fire ant....and hasn't "eaten" anything in the kitchen so sure it's not a sugar ant). Any ideas?

If they are two colored and fairly large, they are carpenter ants. They don't actually eat wood like termites, but nest in the walls of buildings. Take a look at this site and see if it's what you have. It also tells how to treat for them. Hope this helps.
http://citybugs.tamu.edu/FastSheets/Ent-1001.html

Oh no, I've seen carpenters...these are much smaller, like "normal" ants.

OK, if they are smaller ones, do you notice them coming in around the electrical outlets? If so, they are probably Pharoah ants. I've successfully treated for them using a mixture of boric acid, peanut butter or a little cooking oil, and corn meal. They'll take it back to the nest and all die off. It's the only thing I found that would work on them. Here's a site that will give you info on many species found in Texas.
http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/cimg358.html

Crow,

Thanks for the info and link! They are smaller like the Pharoah but their distinct feature that makes them kinda cute is a really big rump. =) They didn't seem to be around any outlets, though I'm wondering how they got upstairs to the bedroom anyways??? New house to so not a lot of drafty holes....etc.

DH sprayed some concoction and haven't seen any in a couple weeks but still wondering what they are. I've never seen their kind outside.

ouch, Lee! That reminds me of a friend in college at Texas State in San Marcos who stupidly got drunk and fell into a pile of fireants. His torso looked like a roadmap from Hades. The poor knucklehead was in agony the next day. :o We honestly didn't have fireants in South Texas when we were kids..thank goodness...only the trusty red ants and leaf cutters, who never really bothered us...unless we stirred em' up by accident. You don't see their mounds much anymore either..thanks in kind to our blasted fireants. And don't get me started on our horned toads..! lol...One funny joke..errr..."remedy" for fireants that I heard in college was to drink a bottle of Lone Star beer, find a mound....and...err....well, you know the rest...lol :D
Melanie

LOL TxT!

I have many toads that hang around my yard...not the horned toad though...so I suppose the fireants if out of control could affect this species as well? I will have to make sure we get on top of the fireants who've appeared!!!! Thanks for the warning about that!

Y'all might want to check out www.aspartamekills.com -- even if you read it skeptically (I try to read everything that way) it has some information that most people don't want to hear. I used to drink diet soda -- the headaches have gone, but my skin will never be the same. Ah, well. It's my opinion you should NEVER put it in your mouth.

edited to correct the hyperlink from .org to .com

This message was edited Sep 25, 2006 2:38 PM

Thanks Brigidlily.....although some of the rhetoric on that website is a bit extreme....I do believe that a lot of what is being brought to attention is probably based on fact.
I'll just say that if we can remember some of the
"drugs" approved, in the past and recently,by the FDA,...then was sadly proven to be BAD for us.....
it shouldn't be hard to feel at least uncomfortable or uneasy,...about the potential that it could easily happen again.

Interesting Brigidlily, it's hard to know what is fact or fiction on the internet. I found this piece from the Aspartame site and I'm not sure they are being honest about their product.
I'm trying to eliminate it too, and Splenda seems to be dangerous too.

I would think her lawyer would have been able to find evidence to find her innocent, but, maybe she poisoned him.

http://www.aspartame.net/info/What_is_methanol.asp

brig,

Thanks for the link...I posted something similar about what Coca Cola can be used for once....once of the favorite uses by mechanics is to corrode off the rust on vehicles using Coke! I mean...talk about strong stuff. So I always appreciate learning more.