Topic: Red Imported Fire Ants

[Dianna]

Thought I would post a picture of our fire ants for Jessica, since she has never before seen them. The ants are busily working today to try to build a nest in the dirt Megan and I just moved to the path between the gazebo and deck.

This hill was covered in the little devils...



Megan and I got the dirt moved to the path, along with the ants. I spread the dirt into the pathway and then tamped it down...



The ants were scooped right into the pathway and spread and tamped, too...

[Jessica]

Oh I see them.  Ick!  How big are they?

[Dianna]

They are very tiny with a huge bite, Jessica. If my camera battery hadn't died, I would go take another of some with a penny beside them...

In the next two pictures you can see where they have started excavating to build their new condos...





These things are very mean when they are disturbed. They will swarm all over to try to take their revenge. It hurts like the dickens when they get a hold of you, too.

Here is a good website for more information on the pesky fireant...

[Jessica]

Thanks for the pictures.  Nasty little devils!

[Penny]

Ewwwwww...........yuck.....never seen them before either!

[Triss]

Yikes... is there any way to get rid of them?

[Tina]

They have them in a couple of counties nearby but I have never seen them. Nor heard of them here.
Our desert red ants are larger and red shading to slightly orange. Not as bi-colored as those.

[sunsoaker]

If you don't have them, be thankful!

[bayou girl]

If you don't have them, be thankful!

and that is the God's honest truth!

[Dianna]

Yikes... is there any way to get rid of them?

I've read where people have used grits to feed them so that they would swell up and burst. I don't personally believe that will work, but haven't tried it, either. There is firebait that you can treat your whole property with and it is supposed to last for the season. That is really expensive. Boiling water poured onto the mound seems like a good way, unless you have large quantities of the mounds. Gotta be careful not to pour it on yourself while carrying it to the mound. I've, also, read where you can scoop up a shovel full of the devils and introduce them to a neighboring mound. They are supposed to fight each other if they aren't from the same...

The only surefire way I can think of to get rid of them is to squish them, Triss. They are mean little devils...

[sunsoaker]

I have tried the grits trick and it did not work. Haven't tried anything else. I never heard of mixing with a neighboring mound. Personally, I think if the neighboring mound is within 10 feet, they're probably part of the same colony. Their colonies are huge. You have more "mounds" than I have ever had at one home. Of course you have a lot more property too.

[Penny]

Geesh....reading this, i am so glad that we dont have those here.

[Triss]

Me too.  I would be doing everything to get rid of them cuz of the kids and the fact I do not like getting bit by mean wee creatures.

[Wrennie]

If you don't have them, be thankful!

Geesh....reading this, i am so glad that we dont have those here.

Says something about living up here in snow country eh Penny!?!

[duh]

Introducing them to there neighbors seems to work here.  I had several different kinds of ants when I first moved in.  And I moved them to different mounds.  And now I hardly ever see even a single ant.