Asked on Jun 27, 2015

Getting rid of red ants

Shirley Shaw
by Shirley Shaw
We have three red ant beds in our lawn and they are killing the gras. We have tried everything to kill them but nothing seems to work. Can anyone help
  9 answers
  • Lucy Leach Lucy Leach on Jun 28, 2015
    have you tried pure vinegar on them??
  • SelkieDreams SelkieDreams on Jun 28, 2015
    Diatomaceous earth is fantastic! It's also safe for pets and kiddos and won't kill your grass. I had a red ant infestation in a townhouse when I lived in Miami and Diatomaceous earth was a life saver! You could also try pouring boiling hot water on them to kill them on contact. That won't necessarily keep them away though, they may come back and the boiling water will kill the grass for a bit. Vinegar will kill them too, as Lucy said - but it would also create a dead spot in your grass, it's also a weed killer.
  • Jennie Herrick Jennie Herrick on Jun 28, 2015
    One thing I have always done to kill fire ants in our yard is to get some cream of wheat and cover the hills with it. The ants will eat it and "blow up" because they can't pass gas there by killing the colony. I know it sounds a little mean, but it's no worse than poisoning them to death and at least cream of wheat is eco friendly unlike most poisons. Good Luck!
  • Sfr1799339 Sfr1799339 on Jun 28, 2015
    If it was me ... I would mix equal amount of Dawn dish liquid soap & vinegar ... make a trench around each ant hill (just big enough they can't cross without getting into the mix) ... fill each trench then get a funnel to pure mix into the top of each ant hill ... I keep a spray bottle with the mix at all times, it kills any type of ants I've ever seen almost on contact
  • Bernita Gibson Bernita Gibson on Jun 28, 2015
    Here is the link to a home pest control web site that sells great ant killer: http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/knock-out-fire-ant-killer-p-8696.html
  • Sheila Jones Sheila Jones on Jun 28, 2015
    I use a little AMDRO, I just pour about 1/2 teaspoon right on the top entrance hole, it only takes the ants a few minutes to take it inside the hole and within a couple days they are gone!! work great on fire ants too. I buy it at Wal-Mart in the garden section. Yes it's a chemical that is harmful to children and pets, so be careful, Like I stated before it only takes a very small amount and they DO take into the hole quickly. Cheap and easy and a quick fix to keep the loved ones from the ants' horrible bites, just keep the kids and critters inside for 1/2 hour and it'll be gone!!
  • Debra Pilchard Debra Pilchard on Jun 29, 2015
    Hi,I used to live in Texas and was parked(Motor Home) on a huge fire ant hill. An old farmer told me to throw out banana peels because the inside of the peel was like arsenic to them. They loved the flavor and would take it down to the queen and it would kill the whole nest. And it worked. Till this day I use this method for all kinds of ants and it is great for the soil.
  • Maxine Davidson-Tompkins Maxine Davidson-Tompkins on Jun 29, 2015
    use washing borax on the nest.
  • Merna Bisbee Merna Bisbee on Jun 30, 2015
    our club soda on nest. Works for fire aunts too.