Getting Rid of Fire Ants in Earth Friendly Ways
Anyone who has fire ants wants to get rid of them, but is it possible without harmful chemicals and poisons? The answer to that question is a resounding yes. This article will cover three earth-friendly and environmentally green ways to get rid of fire ants for good.
Fire Ants Steam Treatment
When you see a fire ant colony nest in your yard or garden, do not disturb it or you will get a nasty surprise. Fire any bites are really painful. Instead, head to the kitchen and get out your largest pot. Two to three gallons is the optimum size since you want enough water to completely saturate and flood the fire ants' nest.
Boil a large quantity of water on the stove and then bring the pot outside. Without disturbing the fire ant mound, dump the boiling water onto the nest. This will kill many of the ants, but most importantly, it will kill the queen.
Fire Ant Sticky Traps
If you notice fire ant damage and activity on particular plants in your garden, you can take care of them with sticky substance traps. Many garden centers have earth-friendly sticky products made to spread around the trunk or stem of the plant. Fire ants on the way to feast will get stuck and perish.
Fire Ant Barrier for Your Home
The top way to keep both fire ants and many other insects out of your home is to build a barrier. First, make sure that all small holes and cracks are caulked tightly. This provides a physical barrier that fire ants cannot breach.
As a second line of fire ant defense, sprinkle a liberal line of diatomaceous earth around your home or garden. This dusty substance damages insect exoskeletons and kills them, but is perfectly fine for the earth.
Getting rid of fire ants is an important garden job. With their mounded colonies and nasty bites, fire ants should be dealt with quickly. Using earth friendly methods such as boiling water, sticky traps, and diatomaceous earth will get rid of the fire ants without damaging the environment.
Published by Melanie L. Marten
Melanie Marten is self-taught and self-employed. Besides freelance writing, she dabbles in website design and owns dozens of websites and blogs. Work is squeezed in between parenting two boys, homeschoolin... View profile
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- Getting rid of fire ants is an important garden job.
5 Comments
Post a CommentI would just like to say that I am a big fan of 'asking them to leave' and I have been sucessful in almost every instance of employing this method. I also explain to the ants that indoors is 'my' space and outdoors is theirs.
The 99.9% sucess rate is worth having people laugh at me when I tell them.
I challenge you to try it for yourselves people!
:-)
I have been trying to rid my three acres of fire ants for the last 10 years. Chemicals designed to get rid of them have been largely unsucessful. After getting stung this morning while moving bags of planting soil that the fire ants had set up residence in (unknown to me at the time), I found this web site. I have two or three other undisturbed mounds that I'm going to try "asking the fire ants to leave" using boiling water. (-: Thanks for the article.
Interesting and informative article. I was under the impression from the reading of the title, "Getting Rid of Fire Ants in Earth Friendly Ways," that you meant somehow getting rid of them without killing them. In my opinion, everything is interconnected on this planet, even the smallest beings; hence the Jains who wear masks over their mouths in order to avoid killing any small organisms that may be sucked in with their breathing. As once suggested by a Buddhist zen master, the best non-harmful way to get rid of unwanted pests is to simply ask them to leave. It seems ridiculous, but if one is sincere, and asks nicely, it can work. Many will scoff and say bugs and insects don't know our language, but it is the genuine sentiment and overall electrical passion and respect that any being of this earth will respond to.
Anyway, sorry about the diatribe. Nice article.
I don't live near fire ants but I hear they are extremely annoying and their bites are painful. Thank goodness I don't have to deal with them. I read your article with great interest though.
awesome job on this and thanks for the wonderful info.