DH always makes a very large veggie garden (100 X 100 ft.) We have been just overtaken by ants, mostly fire ants.
We have been able to find no chemical that will control them that can be used in a veggie garden.
Help!
Kay
Ants in the veggie garden!!!
Bummer!
There has been a discussion of this issue in the Organic Gardening forum, at this link:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/953981/
But I do not think I have seen anyone with a sure fire success on this one yet. still, it's a kind of short thread so far with some informative links, so I hope there will be something in there to help you.
I also hope I do not find I am faced with fire ants in my garden, they are rotten critters!
Kyla
Thanks, Kyla. We'll look into the molassas idea.
Keep us posted, okay? I really want us all to find a solution for this one! Best of luck to you. And, do visit that link there in the thread, there are some more tidbits about what does and does not work.....
I read somewhere, can't remember where that if you pour hot grease into their nest it will kill them off.
I haven't tried this myself, but if you're desperate... it might be worth a try.
Flame throwers? I would be so upset!
Boiling water works, but if they are too near plants may not be an option.
Becky
For a 100x100 sq ft area...... well I guess if you find the nests. But you'd have to get the queen, apparently that is the only permanent removal measure.
I imagine a combination of methods might be good, boiling water copiously poured into all identified nests or mounds, and then liberal applications of the molasses to repel any stragglers...... (Molasses also is said to attract earth worms which would be a plus.)
I don't know about fire ants but could you use borax? Works for sugar ants mixed with sugar but what about mixed with molasses.
I really like the boiling water idea, but it would be impossible in our situation. There are too many ant nests, and the garden is too far away to get that much boiling water to them before it cools. Some of these nests are so huge it would take at least a 50 gallon bucket to get it thoroughly soaked.
'Happened to talk with my sister last night, and she is working in a community garden in Dallas. They are using molasses with no luck. I don't know how they were using it though. And sometimes when too many cooks are in the kitchen, nobody really knows what exactly and how things are being done. I think we are going to at least try it.
Alcohol kills sugar ants on contact. I wish that were our only ant problem.
I think I read somewhere on DG about using grits. Supposedly you sprinkle the grits on the ground and they take them below and start eating. Then you thoroughly wet them down and the grits swell up and it kills them. I haven't tried it but it would be a cheap fix if it worked.
Those grits must be a southern thing TB. I can't get my Arizona ants to eat them.
hahahaha, snort
I tried the grits cure in North Carolina with no success. ;-)
So, what do fire ants eat, anyway?
Here's an interesting link about killing fire ants:
http://www.fireant.net/Control/index.php
Not sure if you can get it or not, but you cna pour liquid lead down the fireant hills. the lead hardness and kills everything, it travels through all the tunnels and give it a coupel of days to harden and then ya just dig it out, it come sout in a big glob and really quite amazign to look at.
I use nothign but grit s for all the other ants. I sprinkle the box of Martha white on the top and aroudn the mound and let them eat for a coupel of hour s and then flood the are a real good. Always works for me and I have oodle s of ants and big hills. I try to do the grits right before a rain. Works better some times if it alogn strogn rain.
TXrockgarden ~ Excellent link for fireant control. Thanks! I stashed that link for future reference. It looks like "the year of the fireant" here.