Getting Rid of Fire Ants in The Garden

[Mike]

Last year I had a terrible problem with fire ants. I suspect we'll have a similar problem this year, and I'm sure some folks browsing this site might have the same issue, so I thought I'd share what worked best for us.

The best thing we used was the granular fire ant killer by Amdro. I'm assuming you can find it, or at least something like it, just about everywhere (Walmart, Tractor Supply, Ace Hardware, etc). However, from what I was told, you don't want this stuff in your garden! So, the best thing to do is spread it (I used a broadcast spreader) about five feet away from the garden, but all the way around it. Basically, creating a barrier around the garden with this stuff.

If you do have some ants that made it into the garden, one thing I read (I can't remember where, but it might have been from @Meadowlark) said that you can get a gardening paver. Mix up some of the Amdro fire ant killer with some syrup and smear it on one side of the paver. Put some toothpicks on the paver, or some small twigs of some sort just to create a gap, and put another paver on top of it. I prefer toothpicks because there aren't many other insects that can get between two pavers that are only separated by toothpicks, meaning mostly only the ants will be killed. Anyways, set those pavers fairly close to the fire ant colony. The syrup will attract the ants, and keep the Amdro from blowing off the pavers in the wind, and the Amdro will do its magic on the colony.

If y'all have any other useful tips for getting rid of fire ants, please share, but these worked great for me last year and is probably what I'll do again this year.

 

[Meadowlark]

Amdro works on fire ants, yes, yes. However, I do not use it in soil where I'm growing veggies.

Rather, I disturb, reek havoc, and otherwise torture any/all mounds I see in the garden and apply Amdro liberally outside the garden boundary on mounds as they appear. This has been my approach for years and it works for me. If you will note on the label for Amdro it says not for vegetable gardens.

 

[Mike]

Amdro works on fire ants, yes, yes. However, I do not use it in soil where I'm growing veggies.

Rather, I disturb, reek havoc, and otherwise torture any/all mounds I see in the garden and apply Amdro liberally outside the garden boundary on mounds as they appear. This has been my approach for years and it works for me. If you will note on the label for Amdro it says not for vegetable gardens.

Maybe it was you who told me to spread it around the outside perimeter of the garden, then, and I read somewhere else about using the syrup and pavers. When you break up their nests, I guess they eventually just get tired of that and move along?

 

[Meadowlark]

Yes sir!