Ants can be a nuisance in your outdoor space, but they can also be controlled by using natural methods and commercial products. Ant baits are the most effective way to get rid of them, and borax (sodium tetraborate) is a powdery white substance that helps ants survive and thrive. Ants also need water for drinking and returning it back to their colony. Some homemade methods involve using pantry items like coffee ground or cayenne pepper, while others use more targeted products like borax and diatomaceous earth.
To kill ants indoors and outdoors, proper sanitation is essential, including cleaning and eliminating water sources indoors. Chemical ant killers like granules, gels, and foam are ideal for destroying nests, especially hard-to-reach crevices. Soapy water can be used to target the entire colony, and chemical ant killers like granules, gels, and foam are ideal for hard-to-reach crevices.
Terro traps can be placed where ants empty, and they are designed for ants to take the bait. The best place to start is using ant baits, as they will take the poison inside back to their colony. A common home remedy for killing ants in lawns is mixing olive oil with dishwashing liquid and spraying the ants with it.
If ants are found in your home, create a solution of equal parts vinegar and water and wipe them off. This method not only kills existing ants but also seals gaps and cracks, reduces moisture, and cleans up the area. By following these methods and implementing proper sanitation, you can effectively control ants in your outdoor space.
📹 Make Your Yard ANT FREE FOREVER In 3 Easy Steps
In this video, I share 3 easy steps to make your yard ant free forever! Ants in your yard and garden can be a nuisance, and fire ants …
What smell makes ants go away?
Household items like citrus fruits, black pepper, peppermint oil, cayenne, thyme, and lavender can create natural ant repellents, avoiding pesticides and conventional traps. Mixing these substances with water and spraying around the house can keep ants at bay. Sprinkling them in raw form around entry points and ant traffic areas disrupts their navigation and prevents infestation. Vinegar, a staple in pantry, is also a potent ant repellent due to its strong smell, which deters ants from crossing the area.
Does vinegar keep ants away outside?
Mixing water and vinegar to kill carpenter ants at home is effective because most ants dislike the strong scent of vinegar. However, the vinegar doesn’t kill carpenter ants as it interferes with their scent trail and prevents them from returning. Pest infestations are common in homes, and frequent ant sightings may indicate a larger issue. The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) study shows that about 66 of the properties treated involved eliminating carpenter ants. Therefore, combining water and vinegar is a viable solution for eliminating carpenter ants in homes.
How long will vinegar keep ants away?
Vinegar is an effective ant repellent that remains effective for as long as the scent lingers. However, it should not be used as the main defense against ant infestations, as it doesn’t kill ants the same way insecticides or pesticides do. The chemical composition of vinegar isn’t enough to poison ants, and drowning them in vinegar with water only achieves the same effect. Instead, vinegar blocks ant pheromones and confuses carpenter ants, causing them to lose their communication systems and pheromone trails. It’s a good ant repellent to keep carpenter ants away, but it shouldn’t be used as a substitute for insecticides.
What causes a lot of ants outside?
Ants are drawn to standing water and readily accessible food sources, including trash cans and debris. A disorderly garden may prove an optimal environment for an ant colony to flourish, and as they expand, they typically require additional food sources.
What is an ants worst enemy?
Ants are abundant creatures, but they also have natural enemies that help control their population. Some omnivore ants attack and feed on other ant colonies, while smaller ants connect tunnels to larger ants’ to steal food. Despite being abundant, ants have natural enemies that live alongside them. The Alcon Blue butterfly, found in Europe and northern Asia, has learned to imitate the scent of Myrmica ants and trick them into raising its young. The caterpillar develops an outer covering, making the ants think it’s one of their young.
Once back in the nest, the ants feed the caterpillar more than their own young and can also eat ant eggs and larvae. This trickery has depleted one Myrmica ant population and is now exploiting another species of ant.
How to get rid of ants overnight?
Natural remedies for ants in homes include vinegar spray, chalk, cinnamon, and lemon juice. These remedies can help keep ants out of the home and eliminate them overnight. Vinegar can be applied via a spray bottle, while chalk can be used to draw a line across the area where ants are entering. Cinnamon can be used as a chalk line, and lemon juice can be sprayed with half lemon juice and half water to make the home smell nice and keep pests out. These remedies can be applied to areas where ants are entering, such as kitchens, bathrooms, and kitchens, and can be used to create a pleasant environment for ants to live in.
What is the best homemade outdoor ant killer?
To repel ants, mix vinegar, water, and dish soap in a spray bottle. Spray the mixture on ants’ trails and entry points, as vinegar disrupts scent trails and keeps them away. Dish soap acts as a surfactant, breaking down the protective waxy layer on ants’ exoskeletons, causing dehydration and suffocation. Water helps control the solution’s strength, making it safe to use around the home. The recipe requires lemon juice and dish soap.
How do I permanently get rid of ants?
Natural methods to eliminate ants include using borax and Diatomaceous earth in water-based mixtures or pouring boiling water into ant holes. If these methods don’t work, consult an exterminator. Seal any cracks in your house and use natural remedies like cornstarch or liquid detergent to clean ant pheromone trails. If these don’t work, use bait traps or commercial repellants. Essential oils like peppermint, tea tree, and lemon eucalyptus can also help.
What do ants hate the most?
To prevent ants from entering your home, seal cracks and crevices, use natural deterrents like salt, baby powder, lemon juice, chalk, vinegar, bay leaves, cinnamon, or peppermint oil, and maintain a landscape buffer of at least 3 feet between your home and vegetation. Ants love using plants as bridges into your home, so clean up any debris and maintain your lawn. Empty coffee grounds on colonies in your yard to confuse ants and reapply once a year.
If the problem persists, seek professional help from a seasoned professional like Paul’s Termite and Pest Control. They take a strategic approach to Integrated Pest Management, using fewer chemicals to permanently eliminate pests. Their science-based, eco-friendly practices create a barrier against ants and other pests, allowing you to enjoy a pest-free home without worrying about harmful chemicals.
Paul’s Pest Control offers pest control in the Tallahassee and Jacksonville areas. Kent D. Edmunds, CEO of Paul’s Pest Control, has been working with them since 1989 and is a certified pest control operator in both Georgia and Florida.
What is the best thing to get rid of ants outside?
To eliminate ants, mix 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap or ¼ cup of Castile soap with water, adding canola oil, olive oil, or vegetable oil for more effectiveness. Spray the mixture directly on ants outside the nest to kill them on contact. Chemical pesticides can contribute to groundwater pollution and harm beneficial insects like bees and butterflies. Natural methods are safer for you, your family, pets, and the environment. Get free estimates from local ant exterminators.
How do I get rid of 100% ants?
A colony-killing bait may be created by blending Borax and corn syrup, which can then be smear on cardboard or index cards. Food-grade Diatomaceous earth can then be sprinkled along ant trails to kill them by ingestion of the syrup.
📹 How to Get Rid of Ants in Yard or Driveway
I’ve always had problems with ant hills in the cracks of my driveway. In the past i would spray them with commercial ant killer.
If you enjoyed this article, please “Like” and share to help increase its reach! Thanks for perusal 😊TIMESTAMPS for convenience: 0:00 Getting Rid Of Ants Intro 1:07 Why Ants Love Your Yard 3:25 Step 1: Defending Against Ants 8:09 Step 2: Offensive Strategy 9:48 Step 3: Permanent Ant Prevention 12:52 Preventing Ants Summary 14:25 Adventures With Dale
i use dry ice, a hot brick and a big soup pot. Place the hot brick next to the ant hill. Put the dry ice on top of the brick. Cover the brick and dry ice with the big soup pot making a solid seal with the ground. Put a weight on the soup pot to keep it in place. The CO2 released from the dry ice will penetrate the deepest areas of the nest — ants, gophers or whatever underground pest you’re pursuing — and put them permanently asleep, leaving no toxic residue.
Great article! I’m an engineer too, so I appreciate your systematic approach. A word on lawns… since I’m more off a lawn guy than a garden guy. I live on Long Island where it’s also sandy. I get ants especially in and around my patio. Over the last few years that I’ve really been getting into lawn care, I’ve been trying to loosen up my soil and add organic matter where I can with top dressing and humic acid. Between that and a couple of apps of insect preventer, I’ve seen my ant situation drop dramatically. I never thought the organic matter would be part of it until you mentioned it, but it’s all kind of making sense now! Moral of the story, if you also want a nice lawn (I have a dog and an 8 yr old son), improving the soil conditions for the grass likely helps the any situation too!
I personally don’t like to use anything on my garden that I can’t use with my bare hands. For ant hills and ground wasp nests; I squirt 1/2 to 1 cup of Dawn into the hole, then use the garden hose to soak the Dawn down into the hole. For the ground wasps; apply early morning or evening, after the wasps are in their nests. Works every time!
We have fire ants here in Arkansas badly. Since we quit using Chem pesticides, we’ve found baking soda & white vinegar works well. It’s also a fun reaction to watch lol. Just sprinkle a good amount of baking soda on the mound and pour the vinegar over it. For pests in the garden we’ve found neem oil and diatomaceous earth to be effective weapons as well. Thanks for your articles MG!
I can appreciate the hard work you put in to sharing your advice. For ants I use Terro liquid baits or I sprinkle down cinnamon around the ant hills that I find. They hate the cinnamon smell and vacate within a few hours after applying. The baits do the same of attracting ants and they then take it back to the nest and kills the queen. I use small terra cotta saucers upside down to place the baits then cover with plastic cups with small ant size only notches on the lip edge for access and is water and rain proof. Keep in mind that your pup will absorb the chemicals thru there pads and people shouldn’t go barefoot where you’ve put it down. I’m really not trying to criticize but just trying to keep everyone safe and until it was pointed out to me from my neighbor, I wouldn’t have thought of that either. I just feel we need to think about what we’re putting on the ground so it doesn’t seep down to our ground water/aquifers. Thank you again.
Fire ants love black land clay! I have a 30 acre farm and they are everywhere, some years worse than others but I would never wear flip flops until this summer when the drought was so bad that there were very few mounds in the pastures. However, they LOVE my garden. They love the composted, mulched beds. They love my compost bins. They love the wood chip mulch pile. They even love my 30″ high metal raised garden beds that I got specifically to avoid the fire ants. I’ve used a product called Come and Get It in my garden specifically b/c it is approved for organic gardening. I’ve tried everything natural for the past several years – orange oil worked the best but they just keep popping up – and typically when it is time to plant out my garden, I have fire ants in the beds, the compost, etc. For the fall I am trying a new approach. I am using the Come and Get It in the garden area but I am going to break down and use Amdro in the mounds outside of my garden fence. Inside the area where the garden is but not in the garden itself, I may consider spreading Sevin. I don’t know. But I need to do something to discourage them from getting close to my garden in the first place. Thank you for your information and enthusiasm.
Just FYI – try cornmeal. We have horses and lots of ants. Because horses love to graze, putting chemicals on their pastures is not ideal. Someone told us about cornmeal. The ants love it, they eat it and when they drink water the cornmeal swells and kills them. It is super effective, non toxic, great for garden, great for fungal infections and gets rid of ants quickly and effectively. Drawbacks … *Not as effective on rainy days – for obvious reasons. * we do broadcast spreading but only in heavily infested areas – like our barn and feed areas. * it is better as a spot treatment * it has to be reapplied as needed. Not a once done. In and around our barn, we may do monthly or every other month. A lot depends on the weather. We use a hand spreader. We also keep an old large plastic chive spice container filled with cornmeal to spot treat occasionally. It’s super effective but does require reapplication as needed. The bonus … it’s doesn’t hurt the beneficial like worms etc
I use a totally organic solution. In the growing season 1. Put down organic fertilizer. 2. Put down dry molasses. 3. Spray with Actively aerated compost tea, or use a product like Medina Soil activator to populate with beneficial microorganisms. 2. Cover with 1/2″ of compost. Water like you normally water your grass. Re-activate the microorganism (in step 3) once a month for 3 months. Your soil will be healthier, your garden will do better provided you are gardening organically. I do this and outside my property line there are dozens and dozens of fire ant mounds. Nothing on my property at all. It is simply too hostile an environment for ants, fleas, ticks, and termites. And the bees and butterflies flourish. After a rain, I sometimes get a couple of fireant mounds. I can either treat them with orange oil and molasses, or just wait a couple of weeks – they’ll move on.
Hey North Carolina, California here. Really enjoyed your get rid of ants article, doesn’t matter where you are, ants are a real menace to the garden, I have tried the borax solution with no success. I have also tried sprinkling around diatemaceous earth which who knows if it’s doing anything. No lawn so no Sevin but I will try your other recommendations and see if it works Anyway, thanks for the well done and informative article.
I use a borax solution and put it in small disposable water bottles in which I’ve cut a small opening to allow easy pouring of a tablespoon or two of the solution into the bottle. I then place them wherever I see ants and in other random places where I can easily see the bottles so I can periodically put in another tablespoon or two of the solution. I wash the bottle out if a bunch of dead ants are in them, and rebait the bottle and put it back till no more ants die in them. So far this seems to have killed off the colonies because the worker ants drink the solution then take it back to the nest and some goes to the queen which kills it and eventually every ant that consumes it dies. Many of the ants also die in the bottle. No doubt the colonies will return but by leaving the bait bottles out at random places it seems to have kept them at bay as any new ants get killed off. I keep the solution in a bottle and pour from it into the bait bottles. I like this method because it is economical, easy and effective. The solution is made by mixing the following: 0.5 cups sugar, 1.5 Tbls powdered borax, 1.5 cups warm water, 1 – 2 teaspoons of honey. Mix till completely dissolved.
Grits works amazingly on any piles. The ant eats the grit, swells up and dies. The whole mound is gone! I have been using grits for over 10 years. Use at least half a box and if the mound is huge a whole box. I have only have to do a second application a handful amount of times. Really works and organic.
Part of the life cycle of nightcrawlers is coming up onto the lawn to mate and feed on decaying matter. These poisons affect them as well. And the residues leach deep into the sub surface. So your not only killing ants, but grubs and worms, and all those other insects that help break down decaying plant matter.
“Kills 100 insects” What about the bees? They are endangered here, and we know without bees gardening is over. We need them, like wurms. This stuff kills wurms too. I have all raised beds here, thousands of ants came over two years ago and ruined a big piece of my harvest. Then I read some tip that I followed: we saved all the nutshells that year like wallnut, pistache etc. and topped two of the raised beds with that. No ants at all in those two last year, also very nice: no slugs! They really hate the pistache mostly I think. This year I’m covering 4 of the 8 beds (we couldn’t eat more nuts 😂) and the other ones with coconuthair (partly in the soil) and twigs. I also spray the plants and soil with water mixed with lemonjuice, garlic, dishwashingliquid and a bit of vegetable oil. Fingers crossed!! I don’t want to use insectkiller..
I tried something in my 2 small 4×8 ft raised bed gardens a few years back that was expensive but it worked. Since I didn’t want anything in my garden that might not be safe, I just bought some large cans of black pepper and sprinkled it all over any fire ants I saw. It didn’t kill them but they would move elsewhere, away from my garden. However after a few rains they came back and I had to do it again.
Excellent article here, esp for those of us with similar soil. btw, for everyone regardless of lawn, garden or home invasion of ants the downfall of any asphalt, paver, concrete pavement (besides weeds) is the nature of ants to tunnel beneath and eventually undermine them. Using a perimeter defense as shown here is vital to ensuring their longevity in many ways.
I enjoyed your article and the tips you have given. I would like for you to clarify something about the ants we have in NC. There’s a invasive type of black imported fireants that love moist decomposition like mulch, old wood, cardboard and other such things. They are tiny and not only bite but also sting and the reaction to most people is worse than a sweat bee but not quite as bad as a wasp. To me it’s considerably similar to yellow jackets. They also love stacks of blocks, bricks, rocks and just about anywhere where there’s compost and moisture close. Their nest are always in moist dark places and are very aggressive. They also have ground nests and hard to kill.
Great content 👌 I’ve been struggling for while as the ants were all in my garden. I actually wear slippers outside doing work cause they are easier to get off if I do not know I’ve stepped in ants. Dale is so cute. His face was pretty serious. “Don’t play with my emotions, Dad,” my Bear does same thing lol
I moved from the north to Texas 6 years ago. The fire ants where awful. I started listening to a YouTube site called “How to with Doc”, so I could learn to take care of our lawn. Doc suggested products for your lawn by The Anderson’s. One product I learned about was “HumicDG”and I mmediately started using it. It helps to nourish the soil. The last couple of years they have come out with another product called “Humichar”, (he has a whole article explaining how it works) which is what I use now. I have been using all this stuff and my soil under my grass is rich and black about 4 inches down. I have no ants anymore. Just though I would share this in case you wanted to use it on your front lawn and the back area where your dog loves to play, and it is natural!
Nice article, thanks for the advice. So far, we have just been using an Offence strategy, using Spinosad based granules, but the nests keep coming back, so I like the idea of using your defensive and protective strategies to complement this. Sadly the Sevin granules aren’t available in the UK. The closest I can find are a Deltamethrin based spray that lasts 3 months and covers 50 sq.m with 5L, and a Cypermethrin based spray that covers 100 sq.m with is a 5L, but only lasts 6 weeks and is 3x the price, so I’ll give the former a try and see how it works out.
I love you! 🤟 if you’re ever in Frederick MD … you have a place to stay. You have helped me get my In-Laws “ant hill” home ready for sale. We are moving them to MD. Where my dog and I can get moved into our new family home!! I’m going to keep you in my back pocket when I start my new garden at the new house!! So excited!!! Thank you!
We have heavy clay at our home in NW Georgia AND we have fire ants galore! I don’t want to spread Sevin or other synthetic chemical products on my lawn but I have had pretty good success treating individual anthills with a mixture of 1-2 ounces cold-pressed orange oil and a glug of Dawn in a gallon of water.I pour the entire gallon on the anthill – if it’s very large, I might use 2-3 gallons.It works very, very well and eliminates having to treat my entire yard. I do occasionally treat individual anthills with Amdro or a similar product. I have also had ants build homes in my well-composted raised beds – definitely not light sand – and I can use my orange oil directly in my raised beds.
I live in the Az. high desert, fire ants are a big problem. I’ve used Amdro with no effect. Have actually seen the ants carrying the granules away from the mound and dumping them! I’ll try the Sevin around the mounds. I have 5 acres, so it’s impractical to spread it everywhere, and would likely kill everything. Thanks for the info👍
We live in NE Georgia with red clay/granite. Red ants thrive everywhere here. In 2021, we were in a terrible car accident. When we were pulled out of the car by Samaritans and put on the ground away from the accident that was about to catch fire, these native Georgia ants that live in the red dirt(without mounds) began biting us in our legs. The good thing (in the midst of this tragic accident) they kept us alert until the EMT could get to us. Not that it was pleasant, but we were coherent enough to communicate with our family & give vital information to EMTs before becoming unconscious. So much for red ants. In our property out in the country, we have used fighting techniques. We will take a shovel load from one mound to another. Sometimes, we will add even a third mound, and they will fight each other, appearing to fight to the death. In our front yard years ago, we planted Zoyzia, which was with plugs and time-consuming. But the roots are so thick, very little weeds, nor ants can get thru it. It is beautiful when it turns green in the spring & doesn’t grow tall.
This is great information! My only concern is our dog who is a pit and boxer mix, and maybe a little bigger than Dale. He has roamed freely in the front and back yard, and I’m nervous about spreading the Sevin in the front. We are set up the same way as you – food in the back. If we were to restrict where he can go by walking him on a leash and not tossing anything for him to catch, how long would we have to do that, please? I sure hope you’ll see this and will reply. Thank you for your outstanding articles!
I use oxyacetylene and a styrofoam cup with a hole in the bottom. I place the cup over the entrance, stick the torch in the cup hole and open the valves just a little to avoid collapsing the entrance. Fill for about 5 mins. Then comes the fun part! Ilight the torch, remove the gas filled cup and touch off the entrance. This creates a fireball underground that both burns the ants and consumes the o2. So any ants not burned, die from o2 starvation. No poisons to worry about.
Perfect information for you and most people. I live in south Florida and have been adding organic material; literally tons worth, over 18 years. Returns to sand in months. I also will only use chemicals in my yard at last resort. (fleas from neighbors animals) I have chickens and a McCaw and dont want those chemicals in my yard. The amdro is targeted and I love that. In fact a fire ant colony is somewhere in my raised bed so I need to get some soon. I have red ants in my front yard and dont have any fire ants there, I think the red ants keep them at bay. In my backyard I have no ants because the chickens are there.
I enjoyed the article very well made. I hope its okay to make a comment on the Seven Product. I used it as directed years ago, Seven a product from and made in China like many things are. It actually caused ill affects on our family. It however was in the white powder form. It also did a strange thing it killed everything that usually would kill Black Widows so we had Black Windows everywhere on our property overwhelming the next year after using Seven. A professional bug company said yep it would cause this to happen not first time they heard this happening. A very bad product to use if you have young children with developing nervous system. Avoid Seven Product on your property find an alternative DO NOT USE especially if kids will be around. Decades of health care experience all Ill say
Great info. I’ve got a huge ant problem on my property though my soil is not like yours. I’m in Kentucky and my year has a lot of LARGE limestone rock right at the surface and very thick dark soil with some clay in it. I’ll have to do the borax method first because I have the stuff at home, but hopefully I can implement the rest of this over the coming months.
PLEASE add a note to your description stating if this is a safe strategy for property on water – SO much of eastern NC is on water and we need to know if these products can be an issue for all of the life that calls our water home. Critical also for the many of us that consider that water life to be a food source.
Awesome and excellent article with real working and accurate advice. Lifetime Florida resident here. But as a very important add on – to do what you have done (and admirable it truly is!) one must be vigilante and dedicated to the routine of discovery and annihilation immediately. I haven’t achieved the level of perfection you have, but I’m still diligently trying! 😁
Hi, I like your nice gardening articles. Thnks for sharing your knowledge. One request – Looks like you have a sunroom kind of structure attached to your house in the backyard. I’m planning to get a similar one built at my house for winter coziness and saving my plants as well. I’m sure that there will be more people interested like me. Do you mind to make a small article on that structure ? Thanks in advance.
This is great information! We purchased 36 acres in SE AZ and we have exactly the type of soil you talked about in the article. Although we probably will not be able to change the structure of all the soil on our property, we can at least work on the areas close to our living area. We actually were bit several times while putting our fence up at the end of last summer and feel your pain about the flip flops…I definitely wouldn’t wear those around until we get them under control!
It’s unbelievable that in 2024 we’re still getting 59,000 likes on a article that’s suggesting that you apply an insecticide throughout your entire property. Forget about the fact that these chemicals will be leached into our drinking water. The EPA recently found that all water sources, including private wells from aquifers, within the communities around highly populated areas are contaminated with these chemicals. The less populated the area, the cleaner the water.
Organic soil improvement that’s what I thought would be your most eligible measure. I’m happy to see I was right. Fun game show. The ant bait is a good idea, but I can’t bend my organic principles enough to Cast sevin all around. Did you know that cinnamon disrupts ants’ ability to communicate? It’s fun, because it happens instantly. If you see a line of ants, sprinkle cinnamon across the trail, and voilà, they will be suddenly cut off from each other. It’s mayhem! What would happen if you sprinkle some cinnamon right on top of an ant hill? What if you thrust in a stick and stirred the colony around and then surrounded the spots with cinnamon? They wouldn’t be able to cross, so would they manage to pull a Hogan’s Heroes Escape? Please experiment. I don’t have all these ants to fool with, but you do. Cinnamon!
I live in Houston, Texas and have a terrible fire ant problem, as do most of the homeowners here. I have clay soil but they are everywhere. I also raise and release Monarch butterflies and other butterflies each year. This year I am turning my front yard into a natural pollinator habitat so I am concerned about my caterpillars and bees using Sevin. One of your commenters talked about using compost tea and some other natural remedies. I am going to try that first. I also have a few visiting cats outside and would hate to hurt them in any way. I just wanted to get your thoughts on why the ants are so darned attracted to clay as well? Maybe it is just the lack of organic matter? I love your website and thanks for all the great advise! My back yard is all raised beds this year and I am looking forward to putting a lot of your ideas to work.
An ant colony comprises a single superorganism and, like other organisms, it can be trained – although seasonal memory loss gets a bit old after ten years. I’ve got a colony of little sugar ants (the little black ones, not the half-inch black head, reddish-orange thorax, black head “sugar ant”). A little bit of methylated spirits in a spray gun can be used to tell the colony when you don’t want it to forage in a particular part of the house (e.g. the kitchen). It kills and/or incapacitates the individual ants of the foraging arm which, for a superorganism, is the comparable to someone dousing ones hand with acid when one puts ones hand where it doesn’t belong. If you’re persistent and, importantly, consistent, they’ll shift their focus to less adverse places.
Fighting ants is a lifetime battle, and I’ve tried every means, including borax, ant baits, diatomaceous earth and even pyrethrin. They are always a nuisance in my garden and they seem to tell me that I have to live with them. But I haven’t tried the sevin granules. Maybe I’ll grab a bag and start spreading throughout the lawn and see how it works.
I live in south Louisiana in the Mississippi delta where the soil here is highly organic, rich river silt everywhere. Fire ants are in pure heaven, and they don’t build mounds like you have shown, they build six to 12 inch high hills that look like granules piled up. They also love love love to invade plants in pots and will not be detectable until you move the pot and then they will attack in the 10s of thousands. They love to build their nests around brick or concrete pavers and bed edging too. Because we get so much rain, they seek out places that they can build under to protect their nests from water damage. They will dig their nests under the foundation of a slab house, and under a large tree so their nest is protected by the tree’s root system. The poison they are supposed to think is food no longer works as they don’t touch it and just move over to another spot. Happy for you that you have found what works in your area, but it isn’t a solution for everyone sadly.
One question I have with the granules. Is that toxic to dogs? When is it best to apply the granules to the grass area? Do you wet it down after you apply it? I have four dogs and my backyard grass is all organic. I never see ants in the grass mostly in my garden beds. But I’ve noticed the more compost material I lay down and then this year will be seasoned wood chips I’m hoping my aunt problem will diminish or be totally gone. You’re always very informative and great description and instructions on how to use products. I’m up in Connecticut Hartford. I think I would buy the natural chrysanthemum product
I hear you … I moved to FL after living in Hawaii for 15 years where there were NO biting ants. I was innocent when I moved to FL and first I cleaned out my house gutters and got nearly a hundred bites up my arms from fire ants. In Hawaii I went everywhere barefoot, it was wonderful. I still forget after 20 years in FL not to go barefoot. Its so a part of my life and my freewheeling’ soul that I have to deal with bites from various insects. Pot gardening here full of ants, they farm aphids over all the plants and its a nightmare. I have tried it all so eager to watch this article. Being organic I am concerned about toxic treatment so I avoided all that here for 20 years and finally gave up much gardening except for pots. I have 4 cats so concerned abut that since they were feral and are indoor/outdoor all day long busy coming and going!!!.
I love ants, they have a job, and they do it very well! I am in construction my whole life, I have seen ant hills 2 feet tall with a huge circumstance around the ant hill. Totally barron of vegetation, they taken all of the seeds that could grow away from there nest. No roots in the nest breaking there home. Ants are fascinating!, I love ants, don’t kill ants!
I love perusal your article’s but this one HAS TO GO! DO NOT B SURPRISED when your DOG or YOU get Cancer from ALL that POISON your using on your lawn. I mean really think about it, the RUN OFF goes RIGHT ON INTO THE GARDEN and where do you think those PLANTS suck up the water from? PLEASE don’t kill your DOG or YOURSELF with all that poison. Please MAKE your Offensive Strategy about Prevention of Toxins for your body and your pups cuz we ALL love our animals sometimes more then ourselves so if not for you do it for your pup. Putting down a dog over cancer cuz you laid out Nuro Toxins for Ants is NOT what you want to think about later on in life after you buried your dog or your family buried you. I can SEE IT ON YOUR FACE that your like this is NOT A GOOD IDEA, “I’m KILL’n THOSE WORMS” I can see it. If anything with all that money you have hire the BEST to teach you how to get it done without man made Cancer killer chemicals. There’s a few guys down in Florida that I’ve seen on you-tube that are out of this world with fire ants and much more.
I guess my way of framing around the ant holes and pouring molten aluminum cans down the hole is much harder work, but it is enjoyable and leaves a trophy if you do not remelt it and reuse it. I have also used CO2 cartridges in the hole and a bowl over it to hold the gas there. Poured DE down the holes as well. All seemed to have worked.
I live in Southern Alberta Canada. I used to live in right across the AB/BC . Our soil is black heavy soil. Very rich for gardening. Beside the Elf Valley River used to be a farm. This guy has mounds of ant hills on his land. He rips up the soil every year to destroy the mounds. He used to set fire to them by putting desiel fuel. This still didn’t help. Borax and icing sugar helped I guess. Eventually he just stopped digging up the soil and left it as grass. I haven’t seen it since then since I moved. My mothers place is the same for soil. But I found out something that really works. Used coffee grounds and cinnamon. They will not come near anywhere u put it. Its bad around Canada for flying ants. Big suckers! Once u introduce dried used coffee and cinnamon for a couple of years, the ants will move away. Great to use in flower beds and around trees but not in gardens. Only around the outside of the garden. Heard u can put cinnamon in ur compost before u use it in ur garden before winter.
I really learn a lot from your articles. I have a huge ant mound in a stump that was left from hurricane Sally. I filled the stump with compost and planted black berries in the stump but ants got into the stump. As you mention, they’re not in the compost but have build a huge mound on the side of the stump and into the ground. They go crazy every time I water the black berries, so your suggestions will be my strategy.
It’s unfortunate we have to discuss this, 30 years ago N.C. did not have fire ants. It does look like you have a different type on the coast, then I see inland. The images you showed were of ant hills with a large central hole. The red imported fire ant (RIFA) makes mounds without any obvious hole. The ants like well-drained sunny slopes. Usually don’t find them in moist or shady areas.
From Texas, It sounds extreme but I use old gasoline, put about a cup in a fire ant mound n wait 30 minutes then light it up, it will pop n smoke not just from that mound but from all the surrounding mounds too, they are all interconnected, this goes on for several minutes n it kills all the ants for 30 or so feet in all directions. It doesn’t hurt the good bugs like earthworms n rolly polys n I usually don’t have any ants for the rest of the season. It will kill the spot of grass where you place it but the fire ant mound was doing that anyway…
GREAT article. Is that Andro safe for dogs? We moved to another home. We found out the whole neighborhood was built on sand. They took the topsoil away when building. They whole area was built is covers in ants. We are talking about miles of square feet. We dont even live close to the beach. It’s Ohio. Anyway, there should be a law that makes builders, etc to put back topsoil when building homes. Now I wish I never moved. I had built up my garden, 20 years in the making.😢 So I decided,Iam going to do Containerr gardening. We dont plan on being in this house long. It would take me years to do a new yard. I don’t got the $$$ to redo all at once.
just wanna letya know how helpful you always are, man. i live acoupla hours west of you, so i feel that i can pretty much always apply your advice to address my needs- though i have different yard soil for sure- Orange County- Orange clay- perfect for mudpies and mud puddles and red ants out tha wazzoo my brother!!!!They’ve never bitten me- outside or in, but every year they end up invading the interior of the house- in high summer- black ones these are- and huge…we always do the boric acid and sugar/h2osyrup, and it works- inside- but do ya think they are comin in seeking better living conditions? it’s not like theyre formin a colony inside- they seem to be solo, rogue dudes huntin down food, water and a/c?! i dunno, man- all i do know is that they will be here in a few months, again. Any ideas? Thanks again! -bugged in hillsborough
I’m almost done perusal your article and I feel like I’m living a parallel life to you. By accident I got rid of the ants in a great deal of my yard because I changed what type of soil is back there by making all the different garden beds. In between the garden beds I had put down landscaping fabric like you showing your article and then I put pavers on top of that. So I don’t battle ants in that part of my backyard however I do have a part of my yard I put aside for the dogs and that’s where I am still having a bit of a battle with the ants although I’m trying to change that area into better soil so maybe eventually I will not have the battle with ants in that section. Thanks to your article I know what to do for the front yard
The “ant mound” that you show in your article with a large hole in the center of a very structured, less sandy, approximately 4 inch mound could be a digger bee or other ground dwelling bee home. Since they are pollinators you might not want to kill these off. If it seems inactive, it is probably a bee home vs. wasp vs. ant as wasps and ants will be active around the mound, whereas the single bee that lives in this hole will rarely come and go, as I understand their nature.
Love beautiful Dale…..imho careful with over vaccinations especially when older. I lost my 25lb 13 yr old dog about a month after his vet visit loaded w shots. There are a couple websites(women/vets) talking about this. Putting his pics on my tank where he rode 13 years. We went on a few rides in Feb in Iowa a month before his vet visit. He was so special, could climb on a 150hp tractor by himself.
Interesting article, I have taken gardening classes with my local extension office here in Middle Georgia, and was always told not to throw sand over the yard to help grass grow, we have heavy clay soil, so when I aerate my lawn and dethatch it I usually use a combination of evergreen topsoil and mix in compost to fill in bare spots and don’t usually have fire ant issue that I can control with Ortho ant killer on the few mounds I find
Awesome article! Thank you! God bless you! 🙏❤️💯. God bless everyone who reads this and love you all: make sure you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour everyone! He is coming soon! Accept and believe in Jesus Christ! John 3:16, Revelation 20:15, 1 Corrinthians 15 1-4, Romans 10 9 and 10, Ephesians 2 8 and 9
In NE Ohio, the issue is more the ants that replace termites in eating wood…. killing trees, destroying homes… My soil is mostly clay. And given the 2 week to 1 month delay in the seasons we have been experiencing for the past 10-15 years, compared to previous decades (March no longer in like a lion, out like a lamb… now it and the first few weeks of April are in like a lion — just one of several examples of weather/frost/drought/snow/rain delays I used to be able to mark on my calendar, but now are about a month out of sync with past behavior), we now need to do March, June, September applications to kill the ants, fleas and ticks. Rather than May & August.
I have the same soil. I use a Tsp. Of borax mixed with a Tbsp of sugar made into a syrup and placed in an empty soda can. I place them around my yard in very early spring. It’s a bait that “sugar” ants, which also bite, take back to the nest. It’s cheap. It kills the colony. I use the same granular bait for fire ant mounds. It is NOT cheap.
True story. I had an ant problem in my house then one year I got tired of them. The very next season when they started coming into the house, I told them I was going to spray the house with ant killer the next day. Well, guess what? The next day came around and there were no ants to be found within my house. It has been ant-free for 3 years now. I do have ants outside and I’m okay with that and they seem to know it. Plus I don’t think they would agree willingly to leave the yard.
So I live in an area s tons of clay soil and they love our yard. For a couple years in a row I had ants nearly decimate all my roses and trees. Finally put tanglefoot on them and it helped. I used to swear by Amdro but it seems like the hill goes dormant for week or two and pops back up. Or a new hill emerges two feet away. We’ve joked that our house sits in one 2 acre ant colony and one day will just sink in the middle if it! lol. I may hafta try Sevin around property line and see what comes of it.
You lost me the second you said to use toxic pesticides. Please don’t promulgate the use of poisons. Our planet to ridiculously toxic! We have to learn to not use poison for everything! I like your information about the type of soil, though. That was helpful as I have tons of ant hills in my front walk because it’s the only place that has sand under the pavers.
I’m in Southern…I have a problem with planting trees, of any kind and I’m afraid to start a garden again because there are Voles, moles and mice…I live in the country and my house sits on 1.44 acres.. Now I have another 2 acre parcel to the left and back of my property and I could careless what wants to dig or live out there, but I hate spending time and money to try to have a garden and the voles and mice (mostly) chew the root system of anything I plant. Please tell me what I can use or do. I am going to place raised beds this year and I will nail the tiny, tight square wire mesh fencing across the bottom of each one before I put the good soil inside, and I have tried the Vole pellets, but that’s a joke and very expensive…and it does not deter them or kill them. Also the mesh does not help with tree roots. I’ve spent about $1,000 on trees already from my local Nursery and the voles have killed all but 2 small trees, but there’s signs that they are working on those too…Please help….and I love your advice on the ants…I’m going to try that this late winter early spring…
I live in the south my husband did all the yard work do to my disability but unfortunately he passed away way to soon so it’ just me trying to keep up a big yard. I was hopeful perusal your article until you got to part 3 when you said you can’t do this in your front yard because of HOA rules which I greatly understand but why would anyone have to use part 3 of your article after doing part 1 & 2 ? Please explain or am I just waiting my money ?
I want to get rid of the ants. But not kill every insect that sets foot on the premis, which i think will be the result of the first product (sevin) you use which uses pyrethroids. Thanks for speaking to this. I was gona use it for fleas from ferril cats but being toxic to cats it may have solved the root of the flea problem. Went with nematodes instead. .
First you need to know what species of ants you’re dealing with. The majority of ants are not detrimental to vegetable plants. Obviously in the southern US fire ants are highly aggressive and hurt. Some species such as field ants actually feed on the honey due of aphids. In general ants are considered a nuisance pest. I recommend getting some samples and contacting your local county extension service.
I seriously have my doubts..also ran this by my husband, and he doesn’t believe it stands a chance. We live in a rather desolate area of TX – Midland County. Anywhere from 18″ to 3.5′ down we run into caliche, depending on what spot in the yard. Otherwise we do have a well-draining sandy type soil. We have installed raised beds for most all gardening, from 3 small beds that are only one 2×6 above ground level, to 5 larger raised beds that are three-2X6s tall, for ease of gardening. We also have a corner area where we plant directly into the soil.I developed that bed spring of 2022, so this is our second year to use that location. While there are some ants in the garden area that is without a raised bed, the majority of the ants are in our high organic matter raised beds. I do not know what types of ants they are. They’re black, with some being close to 1/4″ and the others about 1/3″ in length. Theyre everywhere in all of my raised beds. They started in the corner of one of the taller raised beds, but have spread now to the other three beds. Husband says I’ve created an oasis for them due to regular watering. There are a few in the single 2×6 tall beds, but most are in the taller beds. They’re all over my crops. I don’t know if they will actually do damage to them, but sticking my hand in there to check on plants can be rather painful!! The point is that they are in the areas with the very most organic matter.
ants perform vital tasks in the garden, why kill them? i’ve found that if you just let them do their thing, even facilitate it, they usually just leave humans alone and don’t try to get in the house, which in the end, is all i really care about. as long as they don’t eat my produce or try to come in my house, im fine with them. Then again, we don’t have any large biting ants here in the PNW 🙂
Ok…I’m going through this right now!!! I’ve never seen or heard of “fire ants” until I moved to Texas 3 years ago. In the last 2 weeks I’ve been stung 27 times. NOW deathly afraid of them. I can’t keep them off of 5 acres 😳 BUT I will try your 3 steps. As a native CA Girl, I never wear shoes. Barefeet or flip flops only. Now I have to garden in long pants, with tube sock’s pulled over my pant legs & then a pair of heavy black construction boots. I have to wear long sleeves with gloves pulled over my sleeves. Those bites are horrific & so painful & last for weeks. HOWEVER…I don’t have any sandy loamy soil. I’m in clay. I currently have 32 mounds/colonies in my 1 acre garden area. Three days ago I was putting blood meal around my cabbage when I pulled back my hay mulch & thousands of them poured out of one of my 4×12’ raised garden bed. I screamed! First time those suckers didn’t get me because my skin was covered!! My husband came running! How in the world do I keep them out of my raised beds forever? They are everywhere & make me want to stop. It’s out of control. Heeby jeebies 🫣
Well, glad it works for you. Must be the Sevin because ants and especially fire ants are abundent in my hard clay soil. They build large red clay mounds about 10″ tall and 18″ wide. My husband uses amdro but they just move around. My garden has lots of organic matter to make the clay workable and yet I still battle ants.
The majority of my property is black clay, and the fire ants love that stuff. Good tips in this article, however, I am on a well so I am particular about what I put out. I have found that dishwashing soap and water is quite potent and I dont have to worry about that getting into my well. Downside is it does not get all of them in one application and it is only effective against the fully developed creatures. So, when they get too prevalent I give them a bubble bath, as my granddaughters call it.
thanks for the article. im a new home owner and have, what I think, multiple ant colonies in the back yard. ant bait and building a perimeter around the yard seems good. gonna head out right after work to get some ant bait and might use all of the grass clippings as a organic perimeter around the house to help. . i hope to have a small garden but would like to get rid of the ants first and clear up the yard.
Sweet article keep them coming. Hi Gary from the UK, here in the UK I tend to use Borax and sugar equal quantities, I just put a teaspoon of the mix on a line of ants as close to the main nest as possible and that will sort them out. They take the mix back to the nest and feed it to the Queen and it Will kill her, after that the ant colony will separate and split up job well done. Ps I don’t know what the ant colony will do in the US but it works in the UK
Unbelievable how many people are onboard with poisoning living creatures (because they’re inconvenient). I once attempted to remove an old tree stump, at a friend’s house. I discovered that hundreds of ants inhabited that stump, and they all began evacuating as I pounded on the stump. Later, when I arrived home, I discovered a single ant walking around on the pants that I was wearing. Not wanting that ant to be separated from it’s colony, I drove 6 miles back to my friend’s house and placed that ant back at the location of the stump. Interesting how many of you have no issue (and possible delight) with murdering a million ants, whereas another person cares enough to donate 30 minutes of his/her time, burn $2 worth of gasoline, and drive 13 miles in a car, just to save “one” ant from separation (from it’s family). Sorry to interrupt. Please continue with your righteous extermination.
“Bahá’í Scriptures teach that, as trustees of the planet’s vast resources and biological diversity, humanity must seek to protect the “heritage (of) future generations;” see in nature a reflection of the divine; approach the earth, the source of material bounties, with humility; temper its actions with moderation; and be guided by the fundamental spiritual truth of our age, the oneness of humanity. The speed and facility with which we establish a sustainable pattern of life will depend, in the final analysis, on the extent to which we are willing to be transformed, through the love of God and obedience to His Laws, into constructive forces in the process of creating an ever-advancing civilization” (The Baha’i International Community, 1995 Apr 06, Conservation and Sustainable)
Idk what kind of ants you got bro, but mine don’t care WHAT kind of soil they’re in. I have a 60 gallon pot that’s full of potting soil I made, about as loamy as you can get and there are thousands of medium sized, black ants in it, and they aren’t friendly. Tried everything over the years, and nothing phases them.
We live in the tropics, in a developing country. Many products aren’t available or are banned. To keep ants out of the house, we have experimented with internet recipes and our own products to determine what works best. Take a small container, such as from cream cheese or a fast food cole slaw side salad. You’ll want a covered container, particularly if you have pets. Poke a few holes near the bottom of the container. Sprinkle borax on some cat kibble, and put the container on the ant trail. The ants take the borax back to the queen, and the colony dies. I don’t think I’ve encountered an animal that doesn’t like kitty kibble, so if you’re trying to get rid of particular insects, it’s probably going to be the go-to for bait. What you use for poison will be more dependent on the problem animal. This probably isn’t going to work for a large gardening set up, but it’s very effective for specific areas where you’ve got ants, such as patio areas or around where your pets eat, especially if they’re eating outside and their food is attracting ants.
Wonderful informative article….I love the way you talk to Dale…..just like you’re talking to a Hooman……..😂. I do the same with my fur baby……👵🏻. I had a Red Ant Colony near my small garden and I used Borax and Sugar equal parts all around the entrance and I placed a container over the mixture so my dog wouldn’t eat it……killed the colony completely……. I like your methods but have to watch my spending right now……..tks for posting all your great articles…..you should have been a teacher…….
I’m in a coastal region and we have fire ants. In neglected areas their mound can be basketball size. I tried the granule bait with mixed results. It would kill off the nest somewhat but in many cases mounds would pop up nearby telling me that some of the ants scattered and created new nests. I tried a new approach using Talstar P (bifenthrin ). I would soak the mound with a solution of 1 oz to 1 gallon of water. I have completely eliminated all the fire ants in my 2 acre lawn. Prior I had several dozen mounds. In full disclosure, the bifenthrin is some wicked voodoo. It kills everything, good bugs and bad bugs, so if you choose to go this route, do so with discretion and read the documentation thoroughly, however it is routinely used in food handling areas, poultry houses and whatnot. It is most definitely not to be used in vegetable gardens.
Pyrethroids are nerve toxins that work by “short circuiting” the sodium websites in the nervous system. Given how they work, they also work in humans to a lesser degree. Exposure can be cumulative as pyrethroids are persistent – 3 months or even longer depending on conditions – and are absolutely lethal to reptiles, beneficial insects, and can be surprisingly toxic to pets. I also live in an area with heavy pest pressure, but do not use broadcast or wide spectrum pest control products ever. Instead, I prefer more surgical applications of baits to eliminate ants in order to minimize collateral damage. I have a small zoos worth of geckos and anoles that patrol my plants; geckos take up night patrol and the diurnal anoles do the daylight work. While it’s not 100%, I enjoy perusal my native wildlife living and thriving in my garden. Caveat on orthoboric acid (Borax) is low sperm counts and possibly sterility (with repeated exposure).
Ok, so I really like this website, I especially like the tips on growing figs, one of my favorite fruits…BUT this particular recommendation to use chemicals on the ground that kills all insects just so that you can wipe out ants is the worst advice ever, let me explain why: The American Bumblebees are critically endangered, between 2000 and 2023 Bumblebee populations have plummeted 90%! Why? The Bumblebee nests in the ground, more specifically, they nest in the ground in open spaces: meadows, fields and lawns. When they emerge in the Spring the first food they look for are Dandelions which are critical to their survival. Since the trend of spraying lawns and fields with chemicals by property owners and companies like TruGreen, Bumblebee populations have plummeted. Bumblebees are critical to our environment, in fact, they are better at pollinating than the honeybee and there are specific plants that only Bumblebees can pollinate like potatoes; they are also the main pollinators of cranberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, tomatoes, peppers, etc. Commercial greenhouses use only Bumblebees to pollinate their plants as the honeybee is not able to adapt to greenhouses and end up killing themselves as they are disoriented and bang against the plastic. There are other alternatives to deadly chemicals: a sticky solution of borax and simple syrup (sugar water) soaked in torn-up cotton balls placed in a plastic container with a cover and holes in the sides for the ants to enter and exit.
I would just warn if you live in areas where Horned Lizards (horny toads) and the Red Harvester Ants are native, which is mainly west of the Mississippi, and in coastal Carolinas and parts of Florida, that these synthetic ant poisons can be EXTREMELY detrimental to the populations of harvester ants, and therefore, detrimental to horned lizards. This is one reason they had massive declines in the past 50 years and are considered threatened in some states. Humans who tossed indiscriminate broadcast baits around their yard to kill fire ants, also killed many harvester ant colonies, and also the horned lizard which preys on them for most of their diet.
Wear Flip Flops?? Seriously? I Wore them a Couple of times and each time I did, Kept Feeling like I was Slipping and Sliding. Had No Traction.. My Feet would Sweat, so my Heals had No Grip.. Yeah, Flip Flops.. Phuck That! Fire Ants Also Love Clay Soil. I Hit Solid Wet Clay less than 1in Down and is up to 8ft Deep. PHUCK HOA’s!
A LIZARD family is growing nicely near of the ant’s nest, they ate the ants and clean them from my porch .. These lizards didn’t exist before, they spontaneously appears when there are too much ants. I am thinking about making more homes for them along my sidewalks, where there are sands .. (And will use the weedmate where i can).
Thank you for this useful information. I am in Toronto. I have the same ants problem on my backyard but I can’t find the “Sevin 100530128 GardenTech Insect Killer Lawn Granules” selling in Toronto. Do you have other insect killer lawn to suggest if I want to start with the defensive method ? Thank you.
Great article – thanks! Makes perfect sense as I’m in NWFL and sandy soil is my life. Mine is actually a bit better than most, at least in some areas due to a previous owner couple who prolifically planted and amended my postage stamp backyard (townhouse community) and flowerbed areas of the front. My front yard is fairly large, relatively speaking, because I’m a corner and the city has big setbacks in case of future sidewalks (I guess). Anyway, as you garden in flip flops, I garden BAREFOOTED so my feet can sometimes look like a teenage boy’s face during puberty if I’m not careful. Couple of questions: 1) I often have ant colonies form on my STREET just at the edge of my yard since the asphalt and concrete cracks also fill with sand. Anything you’d do differently there? 2) I’ve had A LOT of yard dirt wash out of my yard over the years due to being at a bit higher grade. I have a huge magnolia and two gigundo live oaks whose roots are becoming quite apparent on TOP of the yard. Will the Sevin stuff hurt them at all? Thanks again!
I haven’t really seen any ants in my lawn or garden areas. However, I seem to have a major ant problem on my back patio. The concrete is old, with cracking and cratering, and the ants seem to be travelling along the cracks and seams from the lawn up to my door stoop. I have tried ant poison pouches, and direct spraying, and drowning them out. It seems to kill them off for a few months, but then they show up again. The concrete has gotten so bad that I am planning on having it jackhammered out and repoured. I’m afraid that when I do, I’m going to find an ant city with a superhighway running through it. Btw, what was that natural pyrethrin you recommended? The one that is organic and only lasts overnight? I’d like to try that. And does it work on aphids too?
I really want to do this. I have a situation where I’ve had a new furnace installed and ants are getting in it. I live in NC. I want to make sure I don’t get compost with any sand in it – I can’t find NuLeaf Mushroom compost it is out of stock. Are all composts the same or could you recommend something you would use instead of NuLeaf? Thank you!
You talk about creating a barrier to the ants … I’m wondering if just laying down a barrier of the Sevin (as in just spreading around the edges of your property) will do the trick without destroying the worms and beneficials. We just moved to SC from New England a year ago, and the fire ants are an issue. I’m getting tired of chasing the nests around and putting the teaspoon of poison down to kill the nest just to find a new nest the next day. We have a dog who has free range of our 1/2 acre fenced back yard but not the front yard. I did broadcast ant granules around the whole front yard and haven’t seen any fire ants there since, only a couple of small nests in the back yard. I think by treating the front yard I created a barrier on one side.
just started perusal this but i have to say, simply, if u have ants (or roaches) problem, sodium boronate, aka borax, or boric acid, such a godsend, will destroy colonies like nothing else, is cheap, has many other uses, and 100% non-toxic(or the toxicity level is absurdly so high as to be impossible, table salt is more toxic).
I’m in Winston Salem NC, and my yard is mostly clay, with poor drainage. I don’t see many ant hills, but a few days ago I saw many black ants crawling around my lawn, and they’re all around the outside of my house. I’m trying to plant clover instead of grass, and wondering if the sevin will hurt the clover, or the bees?? Thanks!