Ohhh come on TNN, we have to have some fun in life....I can't go without my Pepsi!
Rid Your Garden/House of FIREANTS or Sugar Ants!!!!
The acid in coke is 3.5. Stomach acid is 3.0. Makes you think. Doesn't make you give it up, though! All hail Dr. Pepper! (Which is probably the same, acid-wise!) I really think everything in moderation is best. Remember when they scared us out of eating eggs? And now they're astounding us with the news that eggs are good for us! Well, I'd just rather eat something that shot out of a chicken's butt than drink formaldehyde. But that's my choice. :)
I think you're okay fly....it was Coke I was talking about. =)
lol...thank goodness I gave up the "sodey" water 8 years ago... :D
Melanie
Don't you guys know that for generations auto mechanics have used coke to soak dirty, greasy old auto parts to clean them? I suspect that's why I have such a clean stomach! LOL.
That's what we've been talking about. =)
I tried it and it didnt work for me ..one some fire ants. Just a very small mound . boo hoo...
will try it on others too later. did u use equal??? Fran
hi all, i'm a florida gal sticking my nose in texas business so to speak! lol you all have the same kind of climate in a lot of areas that i have, so i thought i would pop over here and see what's cooking. this thread perked my interest because i'm always on the look-out for something to fight fireants. i can't remember where it was exactly, i guess i could do a search to see if it was on dg, but anyway, i just recently read that dried molasses (probably available from a feedstore) will rid your yard of fireants. i haven't tried it yet. i'm going to do a little google research and then check my feedmill in town to see if they can get me a bag of it.
i hope you don't mind me checking in on your forum. looks like you have some fun over here. debi
Welcome, trackinsand. Where on earth is Umatilla? It sounds like a new kind of salsa! You're definitely right about our similar climate. When I check plantfiles, I always check to see if the plant does well in Texas and Florida. It seems here we're always either suffering drought or flood along with heat temps that would make Hades seem cool. I'm convinced the back door to Hades is here in Houston!
LOL, thanks crowellli, for the welcome. i always check to see if plants do well in texas too. i'm smack in the middle of the state, about 2/3rds up. it does sound like salsa! i guarantee you that it's not that spicy here though. it's just a little town on the outskirts of Ocala National Forest, black bear country. here's a link on what i found so far. http://www.dirtdoctor.com/view_question.php?id=1249
This message was edited Oct 1, 2006 1:50 PM
Welcome trackinsand! Come over here anytime!
Let us know how the molasses work
Crow...not just the back door....the front, side, garage, and windows LOL
will do. i'm either picking some up or placing an order teusday morning. my girl at the feedmill will get it for me if she doesn't have it in stock.
Hi Tracks,
Always welcome in Texas!
thank you ma'am! lol
What a neat thread! Fireants...................we are carried away with them here or should I say they are going to carry us away! It seems like the ground beneath us is literally moving with them. It stays super hot and dry here and the minute I turn on my water sprinkler, out they come and the little devils are smart now............they know I will poisen them the minute I see them so instead they grow their mound right up to my grass level, hiding from me! RRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ~ ~ ~ ~ we too have tried every poisen on the market and it seems to move the mounds around but not eliminate them.
I am going to give the 'ole aspertane a try, I have used boiling water many times before and it only eliminate the mound surface level (probably because it is so dry here) but never fail, what is left of the mound simply moves over and pops right back up again! I have to put my outside dogs/cats food bowls into larger pans of water or else within an hour their food is covered with fireants!!!!!!!!!! I know everything on earth is suppose to have a purpose here, but these little devils sure make me wonder!
Willis ~ we have the original Sugar Cane Dr.Pepper here in Dublin - - - the real deal is made here in the DP Bottling Factory. Nothing like going down to the factory and picking up a fresh batch of homemade Dr.Pepper! If you are in the neighborhood sometime, swing by and visit them! They love out of town visitors! :-) www.dublindrpepper.com
Thanks for such an interesting thread!
Belinda :-)
you guys are making me thirsty for Dr.Pepper. it's my favorite.
The sugar cane sugar....is the magical ingredient....
I love D.P.! Everyone also talks about all the old little bottles of Coke. None of the sodas taste the same after they quit using cane sugar in them and switched to corn syrup. Can you only get the ones with real sugar from the plant? I didn't know anyone still made them that way at all. Interesting tid bit of info. Wish I were close enough to get some!
The Dublin DP is definitely a one of a kind, for sure. As far as I know the only place to purchase it is at the plant. They have one day a week set aside for purchasing it right off of the conveyor belt......................talk about good stuff! As all small towns go, all of the "little old ladies" have set their "hair appointments" alongside of "DP Day" - - - I wasn't quite sure what all of the fuss was about when I moved here! I am proud to say that I now have DP DAY on my calendar as well!
Belinda :-)
I use dried molasses and alfalfa tea for my butterfly gardens. Molasses is a wonderful soil feeder and smells heavenly for a few days. I have a built up wall of pavers about 3 ft tall and the fireants sometimes show up near the edges of the pavers. Eat you alive if you happen to step or drop a hand anywhere near the mound. Anyway that is my signal that it is time to feed again. Without fail it kills the ants while leaving my beneficial insects unharmed. Best organic soil builders and fertilizers I have found. I treat maybe 3 times between late spring and fall. Both are inexpensive and can be found at local feed stores or garden centers like Smith
I tried the Aspartame (3 individual packets sprinkled on a mound about the size of a cantalope) after about 4 days - After disturbing the mound,...no noticeable activity except for 4-5 ants on wobbly legs - seems they were not in good shape. This mound was swarming 4 days ago.....I've not discovered a "satellite" mound yet....but will update if they show up! So far so good!
Since the thread was almost hijacked - sugar and sodas - I'll add another bit of trivia.
Houston Coca-Cola Bottling does make "original" cane sugar Coke once a year - for Passover. It is available in the Jewish markets - new bottles, and the cap says Kashruth (sp) Assn. (HCCB was a former employer)
St. Arnold's Brewery makes a wonderful Root Beer with cane sugar, too. 1 pound per gallon. Great stuff!
Hijacked might be a stretch - we were discussing the use of artificial sweetener - Aspartame - for fireant control. The discussion included the pros - cons of using the artificial sweetener in so many foods & beverages - with a concern: Bad for ants.....good for us?
Just an offshoot discussion
Hey, Bubba, thanks for that information. I'll be visiting a Jewish market for Passover!
You can buy the original DP in Waco at the DP museum, which is a REALLY neat place!! Also, you can buy it within a certain radius of Dublin.. I think it is 100 miles, but I could be wrong. Anytime we are up that way we look for it. Yumm! :-)
Willis:
So glad to hear of your success with this method!
Well,....I've tried it with another mound (larger)....again,...using only three individual serving packets....with less effective results.....the activity of the mound is less than before application....but when I disturb the mound...there is a mixture of "regulars" and "sickies"....and they're still capable of inflicting their damage....so,...I'm thinkin' there must be a "ratio" of quantity of Aspartame to size of mound/colony.
Anyone else tried this yet? Results?
Not yet -- but it's the best use of that poison I can imagine.
no aspartame results to report but i put the dried molasses down yesterday and stirred up a bunch of fire ants that were there, although i hadn't seen their mounds. they must have been down deeper. anyway, this morning i found a fresh colony in one of my big pots. i guess they were heading for higher ground, so i doused my pots too. i won't know how effective it really is for a couple of days, but so far, so good. the garden smells heavenly too.
i have to tell you, i keep thinking that this is some sick joke, molasses/ants; it just doesn't compute, but i think it's working! more results to post later. stay tuned...........
This is interesting about aspartame: http://www.organicconsumers.org/2006/article_2880.cfm
Great article/letter! Thanks Brigidlily!
Oh great...read the ingredients on my diet Dr Pepper....rarely a soda drinker...thank goodness! I can't believe it has Aspartme in it!!!!!!!!
News tonight talked about a 20-year study linking sorbic acid in pop to higher increase in osteoperosis in women. If you drink soda more than 1 serving per day (diet or not) you have a 60% higher chance of developing osteoperosis.
Guess I need to go back to what my grandparents ate....if it doesn't come from nature you just can't have it. =)
Gardens Alive! is currently running a sale on compounds that defeat various household insect pests, including ants.
Awwww....takes away all the fun. =) I'll pass that snopes article onto others I've told.
Well, I guess I can start drinking diet coke again.
ROFL!!!!!!!! I noticed the aspartame is only in the diet ones.
Come on! I wanted to post the Snopes link weeks ago, but my mom would not speak for several days after I pointed out the myth about Swiffer wet sheets being poisonous to dogs. lol We buy Bug Stop and get rid of fireants, scorpions, etc. WalMart has it, as well as other places. No, it's not organic, but it works.
LOL patrob! Don't hold out on us! If you know better you should always say!
Never heard the one about Swiffer.
Oooohhhh...I've never heard it either. Do tell!