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Fire Ant Control

"Fire ants are a variety of stinging ants with over 280 species worldwide. They have several common names including Ginger Ants and Tropical Fire Ants (English), aka-kami-ari (Japanese), Solenopsis (French), and Feuerameise (German)."

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_ant

BOILING WATER

02/20/2009: Tricia from Missouri writes: "Does anybody know if you can use boiling water to get rid of ants? I've tried it before, and it seems like maybe it works but I don't know. We have SO many in our yard. It is never this bad. I wish I had not done it. My mother always poured boiling water right down the top of the anthill. The anthill seems to go away but I think maybe they only start a new hill somewhere else. Does anybody know?"

COFFEE GROUNDS

1 YEA   

[YEA]  10/14/2007: Thomas from Kerrville, Texas writes: "Leftover cold coffee and the grounds take care of ants. A really huge mound may take 4 hrs, but what's the rush anyway? For global warming solution, and other great information, simply check out Malcolm Beck's website"

COOKING GRITS

1 YEA   

1 NAY   

03/14/2008: Joyce from Joelton, Tn writes: "I have read that if you sprinkle quick cooking grits on regular or fire ant hills, the workers will carry it home to feed their queen and eat one themselves, causing them to swell up and burst. Ants who died from this should not be harmful to any birds who eat them."

[NAY]05/11/2008: Robert Henry from Ten Mile, TN replies: "Regarding Joyce's Quick Cooking Grits Remedy for Ants: NAY, This is an old treatment that I used for 20 and it does not work. I just did not want to use toxins. Do now and even they have limited effectiveness. It just makes them start another hill. I have searched the internet for a non toxic way to address these ants and have found none. Would welcome a solution."

[YEA]11/06/2009: Phil from Dearing, GA, USA replies: "Hi Robert and Joyce. I have had some sucess by pouring 20 mule team borax mixed in hot water directly on the fire ant mounds. It doesn't always work, but has worked on many occassions. I use about 2 cups of borax to 5 gallons of hot water stir and dissolve and pour out of gallon jug or water flower container and completely drench the mound... Also you can take cat food ( WET or dry and mix a little grape jelly with a little borax and put on the mounds and I have had success with this also ) Place a spoonful on top of mound.

And I will agree with Keeper about the corn meal... I used self- rising in the high and dry summer and got rid of about a half acre of fireant mounts,just as an exsperment.But it has to be completly dry, if there is DEW on the ground the nest morning it will not work."

CORN MEAL

1 YEA   

[YEA]  08/20/2007: Keeper (keeper30805@yahoo.com) from Blythe, Ga writes: "re: Ants -- Sprinkle a little corn meal around mound."

DRY MOLASSES

1 YEA   

[YEA]  06/01/2009: Kate from Marietta, Ga writes: "I use dry molasses on the fire ant mounds that pop up around my yard. It doesn't kill them, it simply chases them away. If they move to another spot close by, I add more. You can also try regular ol molasses by diluting it in hot water first. Haven't tried it, but it might work. I found my dry molasses online at an organic gardening supply shop."

HOT COOKING GREASE

1 YEA   

[YEA]  01/24/2009: Rosy from Orlando, Fl writes: "Hot cooking grease will kill ants. We use that on the fire ant hills when I was a kid. My mom is allergic to poisons, so that's what we used. The ants will move to another spot, but that's another pan of grease."

LEMON JUICE

1 YEA   

[YEA]  08/21/2007: Bill (jaydoc99@msn.com) from Bloomfield, New Mexico writes: "I rarely see this, but it works every time! On an ant nest, or across the ant's trail,simply apply lemon juice. The store concentrate seems to work as well, also. I have never had to apply lemon juice more than twice to eliminate large ant populations. A bonus is that this remedy has no toxic effects for your pets."

08/21/2007: Jackie from Grand Rapids, MN replies: "Thanks Bill from New Mexico for the remedy for ants. I have a big ant hill in the back yard i've been holding off doing anything about.one year i put ant bait outside and the wildbirds ate the ants and died so never again will i do that. i even feel bad about killing the ants, but digging them up and moving them to the woods i don't think would work."

VINEGAR

1 YEA   

[YEA]  06/21/2009: Tim from LA, CA writes: "Spray white vinegar straight daily or as many times it takes to get rid of ants. If you spray around plants, Vinegar can hurt some plants like strawberries etc. so test first on a plant if it can handle it. "