Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Fire ants

Fire ants around my pond are a major problem for anyone fishing from the shore and so I want to kill them. My question is are there any fire ant baits that are not toxic to the fish but still work?

James, in Product Sources you'll find a recent discussion on fireant control. As a result of the discussion, and after having difficulty finding ADVION locally, I persuaded (begged) Kelly Duffie to ship two containers of ADVION to me (he graciously helped me). I feel sure that he would do the same for you, unless a snake oil peddler has pissed him off again.

James...the fire ants will die if you use instant grits. Sprinkle about 3/4 cup on the hill when you will have a few days without rain. The ants will carry the grits into the nest to feed the others. They eat the grits and it swells up and kills them I am told. It has worked for us for many years now on our places in Alabama. It works very quickly. No cemical down side for your pond or pets. Let us hear how it works for you.

This is my first post. I was waiting to sign in on this forum til June when I retire back to Alabama where my first pond and lifelong dream was built in December 2004. Heck...my friend hasn't even sent me pictures. He's afraid I'll not retire if I know what it looks like. 3/4 acrea feed by small stream.

I enjoy this site and have learned a lot. I hope to help others as much as I can. During May and part of June I'll be without internet but will catch up when I get settled in Alabama.

What part of Bama you retiring to?

James...I appologize for incorrect info on Fire Ants. My wife just informed me that instant grits DO NOT work. It's the regular grits that work. she has experimented with both. So thank Sara for this info. Use REGULAR GRITS and they will be gone very quickly. Again...I appologize and hope no one went out and bought 50 LBS or instant grits. If you did they will feed alot on friends and neighbors for a while. Just add eggs and toast alonf with some good old homemade jelly and yea...some homemade sausage. Coffee is good with them as well.

Bob... I'll be retiring to a little community in Delta, Alabama with a Lineville, Alabama Address.
I'm from Anniston originally. Had 20 years USAF and 15 years civil service. Was in Huntsville for just over 3 years at the Weather Office there and loved north Alabama as well. Still have a home or house there in Madison. I know where Hartselle is as I saw many big storms move thru there between Oct 1994 and Jan 1998 before I moved to remote Alaska for the Weather Service. Then I went to Hilo, Hawaii and now I'm in Honolulu. Can't aford to stay here after retirement...But then I'm still an Alabama Boy at heart and My wife a Southern Bell at Heart.

Enough about me. Just get those fire ants gone James so the children can have fun around the pond.

Sounds good it sure is nice to have the NWS back here in North Alabama I work with them for Skywarn and also have a weather station running APRS that they link into for Morgan County info. I ended up here after retiring from the Navy in December of 1995. Was stationed at Ft McClellan at the MP School from 1990-1993. Now I am working in Huntsville in electronics. Now along with the fire ants we have Japaneese Bettles in North Alabama. Not sure how far South they are but last year they got my whole crop of peaches and nectarines about 15 trees worth. Let us know when you have made it back.

Bob

Thanks for the information i will give it a try this week.

Like they said in "My Cousin Vinnie," no self-respecting Southerner would use instant grits (even on Fireants).

Now THAT was a funny movie!

And you're right Theo, instant grits .. yuck!

James

I'll be looking for the positive results post from the missing fireants. I'll be on line here til at least the middle of April.

Bob

Say hi to my friend Lary Burgett at the weather office there. I worked close with the north Alabama Skywarn team 1994-1998 when they set up in the office at the airport during severe weather. They were great and the best organized of all the Ham Radio Skywarn folks I've worked with. Will let you all know when I finally get to see the pond.

Grits didn't impress my fire ants at all. If anything, they thrived on them.

Vinnie's girl is a hot bowl of Grits.

Dave

Perhaps you had instant grits. We used Jim Dandy brand and it worked ever time. We lightly cover the mound and it looks like snow. Then stick holes all over the mound with a stick and the grits are gone within a day ot two. A few days later you can't find an ant anywhere in the mound and no new mounds seem to reapear any where around the area. I'm told they eat it and it swells up inside them or perhaps it dries them up.
Anyway the instant grits didn't work...they ate them and stayed till we used the regular grits and then Gone every time.

Used this in south Alabama...central Alabama and north Alabama as well as Columbus, Georgia. can't see how Texas fireants would be different.

Dave have you got the red or the black fire ants? It might make a difference. We have the black ones here.

Bob

I am just outside Columbus Ga. in Harris county. I tried Amdro over 3 weeks ago and it did not work at all. I will try the grits and let you know. Much cheaper than Amdro ant Killer.

Jake

Bob, I have black fire ants. I consider instant grits an oxymoron. I will say one thing about the grits. The second time I tried them, coons or possums or skunks or ? enjoyed them.

I had read a while back to use instant grits. Didn't work. I'll try the regular grits on my red fire ants. I have also been told to use beneficial nematodes on fire ants.

Here's some good info on the Red Imported Fire Ant - pay note to Q&A #8:

I was just told that a bait called logic would work very well on the fire ants and had a very low amount of insectacide on it. In fact I was told that they used grits and put some insectacide on it. I still think you should be careful with it around the pond.

LOGIC is an insect growth regulator (IGR). It is now labeled only for non-bearing fruit tree orchards. However, the same active-ingredient found in LOGIC is also sold into the retail and commercial turf market under the name AWARD.

As with most IGRs, AWARD/LOGIC do not cause the death of any ants. Instead, once the workers feed it to the queen, she is rendered reproductively sterile. As the existing worker-ants complete their 6-week life-cycle, there are no new recruits to take their place - and the colony implodes.

But, this process takes time - usually a month or more. It is a very thorough and effective treatment for fire ants, but most folks are too impatient for results.

The best attribute for AWARD, LOGIC, ADVION, MAXFORCE, TOPCHOICE (aka Over-And-Out) and a few other insecticide-options is that only very small amounts of active-ingredient are involved in these formulations. Such was not the case with chlorpyrifos (DURSBAN) and diazinon (both of which had completely different modes-of-action compared to the brands listed above).

When properly applied, I feel that the newer chemistries (especially baits) pose extremely limited risks to nearby ponds - and far fewer risk than the unpredictable outcome following an encounter with the pest that they're designed to target.

David D,

The reason grits did not work on your fire ants is your ants are the southern type. When you throw grits on a northern ant hill, they fear white trash or Jeff Foxworthy has moved into the neighborhood and the ants quickly move. The southern ants just aint that proud. You might try playing some opra or rapp over their ant hills.

Seriously, I would think that if it is a very large colony, it will take a lot of grits to kill them off. Just don't get caught wasting good grits down there.

Over N' Out granules in a silver and blue foil bag. Walmart/Lowes/Home Depot. It is a VERY low doseage of "fipronil", the same ingredient in the Frontline dog and cat flea stuff that you put on the back of their neck.
It is a slow acting nerve toxin that is passed on inside the colony. Again it is effective at EXTREMELY low dosage.

Dennis, sounds like your sophisticated ants from above the Red River wouldn't even like Jeb Clampett with money.

Seriously, I don't think grits kill anything but just make them move. I remember something about using Amdro properly. As I recall, I was told or read or (?) to never pile pesticides on the mound. It disturbs them and makes them relocate. However, I could be wrong. If you want to check on that, just ask my wife.

I scattered about 1/4 pound of grits around a fairly large mound and checked it the following morning. As I approached, I could hear a sizzling sound. Very slowly, I got closer and closer to the hill and, sure enough, detected the unmistakable aroma of frying bacon.

Boy, fire ants above the Red River and below it act differently and now Dudley introduce coonass ants. I doubt that it was bacon, more than likely some of that sausage that tastes great and is unpronouncable. I expect the next day, they would have top haul off the pop tops. Cajuns do know how to cook and have fun.