- Zone
- 7b/8a
It never fails...as soon as the soil warms up and things start looking good, the fire ants start moving in. This is one of the toughest battles I face in my garden. It's one thing to use those heavy duty "death crystals" on the front yard, but I refuse to put that stuff near where my food grows!
The problem is that fire ants love the loose, moist soil that you need to have a well-maintained garden. If you've ever reached down to pull a weed, or especially harvested potatoes, and ended up covered in fire ants, then you know exactly why this is always my #1 priority!
Boiling Water: It's 100% organic and it'll work...if you can get the water deep enough to hit the queen. The downside, though, is that it kills the roots of any nearby plants so you need to be careful if you're doing this in a crowded space.
Amdro Barrier: This is something I do every year. Tough to say how good it works because I still have fire ants, but I'm sure it keeps them limited. I use a broadcast spreader around the outside of the garden to create a barrier.
The "Shovel Fight": If I do find a fire ant bed inside the garden, I always disrupt it with a shovel. The hope is that by keeping it up they'll eventually get annoyed and move along. I've also read about folks who will shovel one fire ant mound onto another trying to start a "turf war" but I wouldn't bet on that. My guess is the two colonies would join forces and come at you twice as hard.
Orange Oil & Molasses: I haven't actually tried this, but it's an old Texas favorite based on what I've read. A mixture of d-Limonene (orange oil), liquid seaweed, and molasses. It's supposed to break down the ants' exoskeletons and disrupt their scent trails.
Spinosa-based Baits: There are some OMRI-listed (certified organic) baits out there that use Spinosad. The ants take it down to the queen, and it doesn't leave nasty residuals in your garden. Again, this is something I've never tried myself, but I wanted to list it because it's something I've read that folks use with some success.
How are you handling fire ants in your edible veggie garden?
Do you have a "secret sauce" for organic control, or do you just live and let live (and wear boots, long sleeve shirts, and glove)? I'm looking for anything that keeps the stingers away without tainting my okra patch!
The problem is that fire ants love the loose, moist soil that you need to have a well-maintained garden. If you've ever reached down to pull a weed, or especially harvested potatoes, and ended up covered in fire ants, then you know exactly why this is always my #1 priority!
What I've tried (and what actually works):
Boiling Water: It's 100% organic and it'll work...if you can get the water deep enough to hit the queen. The downside, though, is that it kills the roots of any nearby plants so you need to be careful if you're doing this in a crowded space.
Amdro Barrier: This is something I do every year. Tough to say how good it works because I still have fire ants, but I'm sure it keeps them limited. I use a broadcast spreader around the outside of the garden to create a barrier.
The "Shovel Fight": If I do find a fire ant bed inside the garden, I always disrupt it with a shovel. The hope is that by keeping it up they'll eventually get annoyed and move along. I've also read about folks who will shovel one fire ant mound onto another trying to start a "turf war" but I wouldn't bet on that. My guess is the two colonies would join forces and come at you twice as hard.
Orange Oil & Molasses: I haven't actually tried this, but it's an old Texas favorite based on what I've read. A mixture of d-Limonene (orange oil), liquid seaweed, and molasses. It's supposed to break down the ants' exoskeletons and disrupt their scent trails.
Spinosa-based Baits: There are some OMRI-listed (certified organic) baits out there that use Spinosad. The ants take it down to the queen, and it doesn't leave nasty residuals in your garden. Again, this is something I've never tried myself, but I wanted to list it because it's something I've read that folks use with some success.
How are you handling fire ants in your edible veggie garden?
Do you have a "secret sauce" for organic control, or do you just live and let live (and wear boots, long sleeve shirts, and glove)? I'm looking for anything that keeps the stingers away without tainting my okra patch!
