Georgia Fire Ants

Tim A. Gordy
by Tim A. Gordy
Does anyone have any concoctions or ideas on how to kill these danged Georgia Fire Ants? I've got ’em popping up all around my pasture, and I’m at wits end :-0
  13 answers
  • Liliana Wells Liliana Wells on Feb 12, 2015
    I don't know about killing them permanently. But when bit, immediately dab ammonia on the affected part. It should stop their poison and relieve the itching. Good luck to us.
  • Patty Patty on Feb 12, 2015
    Lived in GA for awhile and moved to a yard that was infested,,I used Amdro granules,,I didn't disturb the 257 mound son the property,,I put the sprinkled the granules down the entrance hole and a few around each mound and within 2months there was no showing of ants,,I then flattened all the mounds and at least once every sixty days I used a spreader to do the entire lawn, this worked like a gem for me,,good luck!!
  • Christi Christi on Feb 12, 2015
    I live in South Florida and nothing seems to works for very long. The mound moves and shows up some where else eventually. I was just told about a non toxic,safe for humans and pets ant killer. In fact you can eat it and it's good for you. It's in our food already and approved by the FDA. It is called Diatomaceous earth. It kills all kinds of insects. It works by piercing their exoskeleton and they dehydrate and die, that's how it was explained to me. You can buy it at Walmart for bugs but I recommend food grade for human and pet use. I ordered from www.earthworksheath.com . It's cheaper than walmart! It gets rid of fleas,ants,roaches and all the other pest in the home and yard.
  • Bobbi Hutson Bobbi Hutson on Feb 12, 2015
    do not disturb the mound and sprinkle rice on perimeter of mound
  • Michele Peetz Michele Peetz on Feb 12, 2015
    We live in Florida and have fire ants galore. I have used cornmeal. Simply sprinkle corn meal around the area. Allow the colony to bring the corn meal into the hole. Once that has happened, water the area and hole thoroughly. This will 'swell" the cornmeal and destroy the colony.
  • Marion Marion on Feb 12, 2015
    While living in NC, we were advised to feed them, the old fashion grits. Sprinkle them on top the mounds, they think they are eggs and will carry the grains into the nest where it ferments and methane gas is generated. Also another, take a small shovel of the top of the mound and place it on top of another mound, the ants come out and fight each other. But the grits is the best.
  • Lrfraser Lrfraser on Feb 12, 2015
    Grits
  • Angela A Angela A on Feb 12, 2015
    I live in Ga, and I've tried alot of the "home remedies", and I'm sad to say, nothing really works like the store bought pesticides. I use the granules as well, and those work the best for me. Gets rid of them the quickest. Good luck!
  • Betsy Woolford Betsy Woolford on Feb 12, 2015
    We had them pretty bad in our yard when we moved to Benton, AR 5 years ago. I tried the granules, but Ortho makes a powder that you sprinkle on and around the mound. It stinks to high heaven but now, instead of 10-12 mounds at a time, we get 1 or 2 at a time. They are hard to eradicate completely. Right now, in early February, I've already spotted 4 in the yard.
  • Linda Linda on Feb 12, 2015
    For a non toxic solution try 20 mule team borax mixed with a little sugar and tiny amount of water and put in shallow trays around the mound. However, you would have to protect them from being rained on with a little hood over them.
  • Jane Jane on Feb 12, 2015
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXHU80WPzoY For fire ants you need TOXIC...this guy knows what he's talking about.
  • C C on Feb 13, 2015
    Diatomaceous earth. If you have pets, make sure you use food grade rather than commercial grade which has toxic chemicals in it. Both will do the same thing but food grade can be used for your health as well. Food grade is found at health stores, sometimes feed stores (it should say 100% food grade on it). DE will dehydrate any bug that touches it. Just be careful not to breath it in (it has a consistency that is lighter than flour). It is amazing stuff but it has microscopic sharp particles in it that can cause damage to eyes or lungs, so don't let it fly around. Scoop/spread out low and gently and you should be fine. I could go on and on about health benefits of the stuff, but I won't. I drink it and add it to pets food. Great for deworming in humans and pets. Many use as a flea powder but it's too airborne for me to risk my pets eyes or them inhaling it so I don't. Goggle it for more info. Awesome stuff. Just be careful in a garden where you put it so you don't kill off the good bugs. If animals get into it and lick the food grade, it's safe and very healthy for them. Feed stores sell it to add to livestock/chicken feed. But for ants/bugs it's lights out. Also great for lice and bed bugs.
  • Ken Ken on Apr 18, 2015
    Corn meal will get them. I killed a bunch by accident when I was using cracked corn to lure birds to the mound. did not do much as far as attracting birds, but the ants ate the ground corn and it swelled up and killed them..