# Fire ant mounds after the rain ....



## Muddskipper

We all might be seeing these pop up after our rain .... and I wanted to give you a simply safe solution to managing this pesky guys.

Ants can be controlled. But they are not bad. They dig holes deep in the ground and help compact soil. When it does rain, the water can go deeper with the help of ants.

This is one reason I don't put out poison. Another reason is I am organic, and I don't have many mound that pop up. I have a high count of microbes that attack young ants, and I let the balance of nature take place.

But what do you do with the mounds that came up? These are colonies that are trying to avoid the heavily amount of water in the ground.

HERE IS MY SOLUTION.

Orange oil

One or two ounces mixed in a one gallon water can. Pour most right in the middle of the mound and do a good circle around to get the rest. To keep those guys from crawling up your leg.

Find it at Lowes, or most good local nursery's.

Orange oil is organic and has other uses too....it makes a great house hold cleaner!!! ... oh did I mention its organic!
http://www.dirtdoctor.com/Orange-Oil_vq1369.htm

Safe for pets, kids, and the environment. You guys fish... who wants poison to run off in our drains, then in to the bays ????

Do your part...


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## Mikeyhunts

thanks for the good information.


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## chuck leaman

I need to pick some up on the way home.


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## TrueblueTexican

*Boiling water*

Fire up the fish fryer add water to the 5 gallon turkey pot - get a good rolling boil and pour it on the mound - gets the queen most times - can't get any more organic - dead grass pops right back --


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## whistech

Organic or not, the only good fire ant is a dead fire ant.


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## Meadowlark

Muddskipper said:


> ... But they *are not bad*. They dig holes deep in the ground and help *compact *soil. ...


Disagree. No way they compact soil and nothing about them good IMO.

I agree w/ whistech, the only good fire ant is a dead fire ant.


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## w_r_ranch

3X. I don't have time to mess around with them, I just mix up a batch of insecticide & pour 1-2 gallons around/on the mound & get back to more important things.


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## MNsurf

All you need is two separate mounds and two shovels. Put a shovel of each on the opposite mound and they will kill each other. I didn't believe this would work until my wife proved me wrong. 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2


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## w_r_ranch

Maybe so, although you will still have to deal with 'the winner'... Drench'em & be done with it, unless you like fiddle-farting around with alternative methods.


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## Muddskipper

w_r_ranch said:


> Maybe so, although you will still have to deal with 'the winner'... Drench'em & be done with it, unless you like fiddle-farting around with alternative methods.


you cant get much easier than pouring 2 oz of the oil in a waters can and fill it up .... and then drench

No chemicals.... no poison.... nothing bad gets tracked back in your house

No run off of dangerous chemicals .... but keep on doing it your way ....

numerous test have shown and the labels warn you of what bad could happen ....

but you cant live forever...right?

and God forbid we try to leave it better for our kids


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## w_r_ranch

Here are some economic facts:

Orange oil ($65.67/gal.), that will enough to treat 32 mounds with 2 gallons/mound one time. *Cost per mound = $2.05*

Malathion 57% ($70/gal.), that will enough to treat 128 mounds with 2 gallons/mound one time. *Cost per mound = $.55*



Muddskipper said:


> you cant get much easier than pouring 2 oz of the oil in a waters can and fill it up .... and then drench


Same as Malathion , except you have to use 2X as much & chances are high that you will be chasing the mounds around the yard as they move. That will get expensive & waste time that could be better utilized for other endeavors IMO.



Muddskipper said:


> No chemicals.... no poison.... nothing bad gets tracked back in your house No run off of dangerous chemicals .... but keep on doing it your way ....


I need not remind you that Malathion is & has been used commercially on vegetables & fruit trees since 1956. If you don't believe it, look it up for yourself... Follow the instructions, as you would for anything else, & there is not an issue.



Muddskipper said:


> numerous test have shown and the labels warn you of what bad could happen ....


Almost every product sold has a warning label on it, so what's your point??? Or are you just a paid sponsor for Nature's Way or the Dirt Dr's products??? Lighten up skipper, there are at least 360 different shots on the pool table...



Muddskipper said:


> but you cant live forever...right? and God forbid we try to leave it better for our kids


That is simple fear-mongering & you know it. :headknock


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## aggie13_03

/\ x2 

And as previously stated, the only good fire any is a dead one.


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## surfdad_96712

*Fire ants*

Having raised beds and trying to go organic used the orange oil and it just moved the colony to another spot.
Full boiling tea kettle a little dish soap poured on the mound works


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## chuck leaman

I like to pee on the beds before I add the boiling water. This adds insult to injury and is pay back for all the times the nasty little bastiges have tore me up. I haven't had to much of an issue with them this year.


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## Meadowlark

LOL, Chuck...these days I have to stand so close to the mound to hit it that I put my life in danger of scout ant attacks.

Not to mention that approach probably would not pass the test, in some people's minds, offered below. The freedom to take a leak whenever and wherever is just one of the blessings of living the great life in the Country.



Muddskipper said:


> ...
> and God forbid we try to leave it better for our kids


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## Yak a Tak

I stir them up real good and pour about a cup of 92 octane on the mound. Set it off with a Whhhhoooooossshh, and enjoy the sight of the little puss-pocket biting baaaastards that torment me all summer getting burned to a crisp. I told my wife that's why they are called fire ants, think she still believes me, hahaha. 

My uppity neighbors in our gated community give me all sorts of dirty looks when I have 7-8 flaming ant mounds burning in the front yard. Kind of feel like Eddie emptying the camper crapper on Lampoons Christmas, LOL!


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## Muddskipper

Dude

A bottle has lasted me two years and still going

Cost was not that much





hey - they told a bunch of my dads friends that the stuff they were spraying in the jungles in SE Asia was not bad

And the VA told my neighbor down the street on disability after driving a truck in Iraq for the army the 1st go around, they can't tell if he got into anything ....(put hey, 45 yr old guys get Parkinson's, Galblatter issues, and numerous neurological things on a regular basis)

*If you can take the time (which is not much), and do it right, why not?*

but as I stated before ...

and God forbid we try to leave it better for our kids

I guess it was Fear mongering that GCCA used on the commercial guys to stop commercial fishing for the Redfish, right?

just because that's the way it's been done for years does not mean, it's good for you, and not causing harm beyond what you intend on it ....

but the most important question is, why even comment, if you choose not to do it .... seriously ?

I try to pass along some good info, and you can't contribute anything worth a flying flip, and you call it "simple fear-mongering " .... lol

By the way, my ants did not move, and the mounds did not come back


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## w_r_ranch

Muddskipper said:


> Cost was not that much


I took the price from the link *YOU* provided.



Muddskipper said:


> hey - they told a bunch of my dads friends that the stuff they were spraying in the jungles in SE Asia was not bad
> 
> And the VA told my neighbor down the street on disability after driving a truck in Iraq for the army the 1st go around, they can't tell if he got into anything ....(put hey, 45 yr old guys get Parkinson's, Galblatter issues, and numerous neurological things on a regular basis)


Do you have a actual & factual point to make or are you just wasting bandwidth again. I can say that because I was in both Vietnam & the First Gulf War, were you??? Now do you have anything concrete to offer on this subject or are you just going to continue blow'in smoke???



Muddskipper said:


> but as I stated before ... and God forbid we try to leave it better for our kids
> 
> I guess it was Fear mongering that GCCA used on the commercial guys to stop commercial fishing for the Redfish, right?
> 
> just because that's the way it's been done for years does not mean, it's good for you, and not causing harm beyond what you intend on it ....
> 
> but the most important question is, why even comment, if you choose not to do it .... seriously ?


Anybody ever tell you that you're verbose??? You posted 1 of 360 different viewpoints & have absolutely *NOTHING *of credible evidence to support your claims while others here have tried it & told you they found it lacking. If you want to 'run with it', by all means do so.

The fact remains for the rest of us that there are more cost/time effective solutions out there & they do not harm our children, our dogs or the environment.


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## w_r_ranch

Now that I've had a few minutes to think about it, I've decided to put you on ignore, skippy (something I have never done to a person in the 'Gardening Forum'). You just aren't worth it.


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## Muddskipper

I'm afraid if I told you the sky was blue you might argue with me ...

I have to admit, you made me go look up verbose ... I bet I'm not the only one reading this

I did not have the honor to serve, but Thank you for your service

Were going to have to simply agree to disagree

I clearly can turn you, and that's OK, you are entitled to do what you want ....

Take care


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## Rubberback

Two things I wish I could get rid of on the farm. Hogs & fire ants. I tried the orange oil it worked but they seemed to just move & now I have more ant hills than before. I can't use chemicals because I have yard birds. I've tried DE but its a slow go & you just keep reapplying.


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## Muddskipper

They don't move
That is a new mound with new ants
New queen

Consider this, since you have to go organic

Try adding Nematods that attack the young ants

Look them up on the net, it's a beneficial organism that attacks ants and fleas

When harsh chemicals are used it wipes out everything including the good ones


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## monkeyman1

Ranch, there is an abundance of info on the web that says orange oil kills ants. Malathion also kills bees - pretty necessary critters for pollination - and other beneficial bugs. The facts on malathion below...

http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/malatech.html#fate

I don't know why you so adamantly refuse to accept this info, but this isn't the jungle - no need to act like it is the jungle. Respectfully, if you want to stir manure, do it there please.

Thanks for the info Mudskipper. I prefer to use organic products, even if it means sacrificing some amount of effectiveness. My grandson plays in my yard.


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## WilliamH

Can we get the Garden forum moved above Food for the Soul? It looks like we are getting some cross pollination . . . . or would that be contamination, from The Jungle?

Anyway . . . . LOL . . .


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## Rubberback

Muddskipper said:


> They don't move
> That is a new mound with new ants
> New queen
> 
> Consider this, since you have to go organic
> 
> Try adding Nematods that attack the young ants
> 
> Look them up on the net, it's a beneficial organism that attacks ants and fleas
> 
> When harsh chemicals are used it wipes out everything including the good ones


I've used the nematodes. I'm not taking sides & I'm not saying orange oil doesn't work. We have been getting some rain & two things that come out after the rain is hogs & ants. I'll keep after them with orange oil & tell what I see. I just started using it after I read your post.
It killed them quick like overnight. It rained again & there back. I don't mind mixing it up & pouring on the mounds.


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## Muddskipper

Rubberback

I had a small mound pop up near some stepping stones and I hit it with the orange oil

About 4 worms came up quick and were squirming all over the place trying to get it off them

Cool thing is I use something that won't kill every worm in the area just a temporary sting to the ones with direct contact

3rd year on the organic program and I might get 6 mounds over the course of the year

I hit em and that's it


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## MNsurf

w_r_ranch said:


> Maybe so, although you will still have to deal with 'the winner'... Drench'em & be done with it, unless you like fiddle-farting around with alternative methods.


Actually, both mounds were gone. I guess they kill the other queen?

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2


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## h.f.d.firedog

Ha Ranch
Mudskipper is only trying to help you and your kids live longer. If your life is only worth .55 cents . So be it. Don't be a hater.


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## Rubberback

Update orange oil is winning.


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## reeltimer

Well I had a yard full of fire ants in early spring and got rid of them..now the yard is full of strawberry ants:banghead:....these suckers laugh when sprayed..what the heck will work besides fipronil?

sent from my taxpayer-funded sail phone and yes the government is tapped into my talk


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## w_r_ranch

h.f.d.firedog said:


> Ha Ranch
> Mudskipper is only trying to help you and your kids live longer. If your life is only worth .55 cents . So be it. Don't be a hater.


You may want to read #11 again. :rotfl:



Rubberback said:


> Update orange oil is winning.


That's great!!!

I treated ours on Monday afternoon & they were dead/gone by the next morning.


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## h.f.d.firedog

Ha Skipper Let the Ranch run his mouth . He aint worth but .55 cents...


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## trodery

Yak a Tak said:


> I stir them up real good and pour about a cup of 92 octane on the mound. Set it off with a Whhhhoooooossshh, and enjoy the sight of the little puss-pocket biting baaaastards that torment me all summer getting burned to a crisp. I told my wife that's why they are called fire ants, think she still believes me, hahaha.
> 
> My uppity neighbors in our gated community give me all sorts of dirty looks when I have 7-8 flaming ant mounds burning in the front yard. Kind of feel like Eddie emptying the camper crapper on Lampoons Christmas, LOL!


This is always been my favorite method of dispatching them vermin!


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## BATWING

So after flaming the mounds how did yall deal with all the dead spots in the yard?

I can see the arguments on both sides. Its very much like the beloved Honda Prius vs The nasty SUV. Once per once ratio usage looks to be not equal. This could be mean more carcinogens in the enviro from packaging plastics, fossil fuels burned to deliver product, green house gasses not to mention all the electricity to move the mass amount of Orange Oil. Human Sacrifice, Dogs and cats living together, Mass Hystaria.


I would like to know which is more effective. I have acreage and putting out loads of Chemicals is not good for Synthetics or Organics. I have been running them off with a mower and water hose. LOL


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## w_r_ranch

Here you go BW:

http://fireant.tamu.edu/files/2013/05/2013-Fire-Ant-Bait-Misc-Control-Products-5-30-13.pdf

http://fireant.tamu.edu/controlmethods/products/


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## w_r_ranch

h.f.d.firedog said:


> Ha Skipper Let the Ranch run his mouth . He aint worth but .55 cents...


I'm willing to bet that I'm worth more than you... Just say'in.

Now do you have something concrete to offer on this subject or are you just going to continue blowing smoke rings?


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## chuck leaman

Burning them and dumping boiling water on them is fun. The dead spots in the yard fill in quickly. That and I run em down with the lawn mower. After a couple of times they pack up and move.


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## w_r_ranch

monkeyman1 said:


> Thanks for the info Mudskipper. I prefer to use organic products, even if it means sacrificing some amount of effectiveness. My grandson plays in my yard.


Sprinkle grits on fire ant mound, they eat it and then it swells up and "pop" goes the fire ant!

Hey I was told this by a real smart organic person. Must be true. :headknock


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## jm423

As to the statement "the only good fire ant is a dead----", in and around people and pet areas, I agree. But since the fire ant has spread so, it seems the tick (dog, cattle ear tick, and people biters) and chigger population has decreased considerably. Others share this observation. And there again the downside is the damage they do to newborn animals and ground nesting birds. No clear answer, for me.


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## Dick Hanks

monkeyman1 said:


> Ranch, there is an abundance of info on the web that says orange oil kills ants. Malathion also kills bees - pretty necessary critters for pollination - and other beneficial bugs. The facts on malathion below...
> 
> http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/malatech.html#fate
> 
> I don't know why you so adamantly refuse to accept this info, but this isn't the jungle - no need to act like it is the jungle. Respectfully, if you want to stir manure, do it there please.
> 
> Thanks for the info Mudskipper. I prefer to use organic products, even if it means sacrificing some amount of effectiveness. My grandson plays in my yard.


Help me out.... I only get to Texas some winters. Most of my time is in Minnesota, and I've never seen a fire ant. We don't even get ice ants.

I can understand that malathion would kill beneficial bees. What I can't understand is: What the heck would a bunch of bees be doing in a fire ant mound where they would get contaminated?


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## w_r_ranch

LOL!!! I thought the same thing when I read that the first time... The internet is full of this kind of 'organic' nonsense, what I find amazing is that sometimes normally thinking people believe it. Go figure.


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## chuck leaman

I need some more charcoal starter. Got a few big ones to burn when I get home.


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## w_r_ranch

MNsurf said:


> All you need is two separate mounds and two shovels. Put a shovel of each on the opposite mound and they will kill each other. I didn't believe this would work until my wife proved me wrong.


Texas A&M Extension Service says otherwise.

_*Myth: If you mix fire ant colonies they will kill each other.*_
_*Fact: Workers may die, but not the entire colony.*_

_Fire ant mixing is a common suggestion for killing fire ant colonies. When mixing colonies, there is potential for workers to be killed, but little chance that the queens will die. In order to kill a fire ant colony, the laying queens must be killed. Generally, disturbed colonies just move to a different location._

_*
Myth: Baking soda, vinegar, molasses, plaster of Paris and aspartame will kill fire ant colonies.
*__*Fact: These have all been tested and found ineffective.*_

_All of these popular home remedies have been thoroughly tested and proven to have no effect on fire ant colonies._


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## Muddskipper

Where is your TX a&m study on the orange oil?

Which is what the OP was for?

And the Orange oil is suggested from Howard Garrett who they quote In the above link


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## w_r_ranch

_



One method currently being evaluated and *showing some promise *as an effective home remedy is an ant mound drench using a mixture of* dishwashing liquid and citrus oil.*

Click to expand...

_It also notes that dishwashing soap is 60-70% effective by itself.

They also stated on page 73 of the study that they used *1 cup of orange oil per gallon* (that's 8 ounces)... That 4X the dosage, BTW... so that one gallon of orange oil now treats 16 mounds with 1 gallon/mound one time. *Cost per mound = $4.10 (plus the cost of the soap).*

Are you happy now skippy???

After the recent rains, I had 16 mounds move into our yard. I treated them & they were totally dead in 4 hours. *The cost per mound was $0.37 (I buy in bulk)*... _*ROFLMAO!!!
*_


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## Muddskipper

But if you do your reading
On the original post link

It states 2oz per gallon of water for the soil drench

But you don't live on a " postage stamp" as some smoke blower once said

And you have clearly spent more time on this post than it would of taken all of us to treat ants with orange oil 

So keep on justify the PENNIES that you insist on arguing about 

My guess is since all of the pesticides in your yard, you have killed all the living things In it

So you don't allow nature to manage it self... It tosses out your cost justification when you have to continue to do it

I hit a few mounds a year and nature handles the rest on its own


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## w_r_ranch

Somethings 'organic' in the garden do work... this just isn't one of them. 

What I find amazing is the number of â€˜organic fanaticsâ€™ that purposely mislead the public & try to convert others to adopting their 'religion' with very little actual experience. Go figure.


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## Muddskipper

It's worked well for me, my neighbors, and apparently Howard Garrett's listeners

Your just special I guess?


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## w_r_ranch

Muddskipper said:


> But if you do your reading On the original post link It states 2oz per gallon of water for the soil drench


I read just fine, which is why I posted exactly what I did in #11. My last reply was directed at YOUR request regarding the TAMU study (which stated that they used 8 ounces/gal.).

Do try to keep up...



Muddskipper said:


> But you don't live on a " postage stamp" as some smoke blower once said


I don't live 'on a postage stamp, you do. I live on 200+ acres. What is the point that you are trying to make?

I have been gardening for 50+ years, how many do you have under your belt?



Muddskipper said:


> And you have clearly spent more time on this post than it would of taken all of us to treat ants with orange oil


LOL!!! Like I said, mine were dead in 4 hrs... while you still seem to be chasing yours @ $2 a try. Just say'in.



Muddskipper said:


> My guess is since all of the pesticides in your yard, you have killed all the living things In it


I & others have an abundance if wildlife, reptiles, amphibians & honeybees inspite of our use of synthetics. Get over it.​


Muddskipper said:


> I hit a few mounds a year and nature handles the rest on its own


LOL!!! Yet you have accumulated such a large base of actual experience from which you like to advise others with... Based on your vast experiences of living on a postage stamp sized lot in close proximity to a couple of freeways... ROFLMAO!!!

Tell you what, bring your orange oil here to my ranch & we can each treat a mound. I sure that we can get someone here to come & film the results when we each lay on top of our respective mounds a couple of hours later. They can then post the videos here & we can end this charade once and for all. Let me know when you would like to put some skin in the game.


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