fire ants in pile

[cynthia_h]

"Did he ever return? No, he never returned, and his fate is still unlearned...."

Fire ants are terrible; I had to deal with them when I was maybe 10 y.o. in Tampa, Florida, the summer we were waiting to go to Panama (the Canal Zone). Tried to sit outdoors and play cards and Monopoly with other kids, like we had done in Rancho Cordova, California, the past two and some years. OMG THAT didn't work at all!

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[drh146]

Hey everyone sorry for not giving you the outcome. Its great you are interested but I have to say its kind of anti climactic...
I bought a box of borax, went out there to pitchfork it and find them, and they were gone. I just keep forking once a week or so and they haven't come back.
Sorry for the crappy feedback, but I still have the borax, so I could try it on one of the many other hills around the yard, and I'm sure I will sooner or later, but cold is coming, and if they aren't in a bad spots, so there's no reason to make them move, potentially to a bad spot.

[drh146]

Hey everyone sorry for not giving you the outcome. Its great you are interested but I have to say its kind of anti climactic...
I bought a box of borax, went out there to pitchfork it and find them, and they were gone. I just keep forking once a week or so and they haven't come back.
Sorry for the crappy feedback, but I still have the borax, so I could try it on one of the many other hills around the yard, and I'm sure I will sooner or later, but cold is coming, and if they aren't in a bad spots, so there's no reason to make them move, potentially to a bad spot.

[RickRS]

This is interesting, as I was sent an e-mail, forwarding information on

"Artificial" Sweeteners---Aspartame. Apparently it is a neuropoison. !!!

Was interesting that it is apparently a "great ant killer"

You add two packets to the Fire ant nest, if the area is dry, make the area slightly wet.

Supposed to killl them completely? Use gloves.

Also two pkts, will kill other types of ants in their nests as well.

IF someone tries this, PLEASE get back to us on here and let us know if it

works???? I found this extremely interesting.

I'm a skeptic, if two tiny packets of Aspartame could knock out a bed of fire ants, that knowledge would have spread across the South like wildfire. However, it's interesting and simple enough to try. Now to find a bed to try it on.

drh146, it happens. Fire ants beds will move from place to place. Try and kill them and they pack up and move to another spot in the yard. Count yourself lucky they disappeared from your yard.