How to Kill Fire Ants in Lawns and in Fields

[@jvcyt298]

My method is sprinkling Sevin lawn granules on top of the mound, then spraying water into and around it until it is completely dissipated. The boiadvance dust works great, but it gets expensive, and bait takes too long to see results. I found that walking the property the day after a rainstorm is when I find the most new ant hills.

[@HPTuchin]

Learned my lesson 2 years ago about fire ants. Was taking down Christmas decorations standing in my landscaping, they swarmed my leg. Shorts , yard sneakers no socks (FL LOL) . Easy 500 bites, ended up breaking out in whole body hives, my face/tongue/ lips swelling up & in the ER. I'm fire ants worst enemy now 😂.

[@ttechflyman5840]

Have you ever used the Bayer granuels called Over and Out? I have always heard that if you just treat the mounds that the ants will just move to another location. I have just used Over and Out and spread it over the entire yard once I start seeing activity. Seems to work really well.

[@DrB_CU]

I blanket the whole lawn in Bifenthrin on a hot day in April, and don't see any more until August. Maybe a mound on the periphery. Actually don't even have to use the whole label rate.

[@dwightmaling6006]

I have been using Talstar, granular and liquid for a few years and have had great results. They are a little on the expensive side but worth it in my opinion. Knocks out mole crickets also that I battle in the western panhandle of Florida.

[@chrisb9238]

You need to bait fire ants. Each colony will often have multiple queens. It won't be enough to simply spray the mounds. They will just move. You need to kill all of the queens. You also have to treat the entire perimeter. Consider using Maxforce Complete Granular Insect Bait.

[@HowTowithDoc]

That's what I say in the video. However, not a solution for 40 acres.

[@tyrotrainer765]

I live in the Philippines and the fire ants in my garden are really vicious little so and so's. I just got rid of a nest by sprinkling DE (diatomaceous earth) on and around the nest and their patrol routes. Apparently the fine powder is actually razor sharp at their scale and it destroys their exoskeleton. I use DE in my pool filter and it is very cheap online or in pool stores, and it does not harm pets or plants.

[@kevpage]

Man, your day is never dull that’s for sure! How on earth do you keep on top of all that land?.?

[@nickmcdaniel5676]

Doc, if you get bit by them, rub the area with vinegar. Takes the sting and itch out.

[@TheWalkerjrc]

My yard is about 1/2 acre and I use Anderson's Duocide and I never get ants after a rain. My neighbors do, but nor me.

[@MyGuyKirby]

Fire ants will also find my lawn lights and nest inside which burns out the bulbs! Thanks for sharing the tip on spot spraying those mounds.

[@underthetornado]

They're attracted to electricity and often nest in lighting, stop lights, generators...etc.

[@dnotso4574]

Bimenthryn (Bi-Fen IT) is a great PREVENTER for fire ants. I have 5 acres that I spray with Bi-fen IT twice a year. Hardly ever see a fire ant hill anymore. Used to see 150-200 before I started doing preventative treatment.

[@HowTowithDoc]

We can't due to the pond.

[@ErinEtheridge]

How do you spray the whole five acres

[@chrisgraham140]

If you have a small yard topchoice is your best bang but for homeowners with a lot of land do spot treatments with Taurus SC.

[@WhittyPics]

My experience with ants is if you don't treat the whole yard, they will just move around

[@chrisgraham140]

@WhittyPics you can definitely run into that issue but in the end you have to look at cost per acre when it comes to controlling lawn pest.

[@Bob_Adkins]

@@WhittyPics Exactly right! If you have a 1 acre yard and count 15-20 mounds, chances are all the ants in every mound are the daughters of a single queen. Hitting 1 mound is pretty useless because they are all connected by tunnels. Hitting every mound you can find every day will work them to death and starve them because they have no time and energy to forage. The only way to win over ants is to outwork them for a week to 10 days.

[@toddmusser6537]

Something cathartic about watching those mounds get sprayed...

[@flycrew]

As I sit here with over a baker's dozen stings... that first spray was soothing.

[@redbirdsjunkie]

I use Bifen LP granules for my home that has ~5000 sq ft of lawn, stuff works really well for ants, scorpions, millipedes, fleas, ticks and so on. The granules are super fine, almost like sand, so I spread it around the perimeter of my home and then make wide passes through the lawn.

[@janewalker1731]

That's because it is sand (coated in the chemical)

[@austinj3881]

I personally like the borax sugar method. Especially around my gardens where I am growing food. For a property your size that might not be efficient but it doesn’t look like you are winning that war with the ants.

[@kyleschopper8752]

How often can you apply PGF Balance? My soil is deficient in everything, pH is fine

[@phillipingram4909]

I have roughly 40k square feet of lawn, then additional wooded area in a country subdivision surrounded by farm land in upstate SC. I use DuoCide from The Andersons for grubs and other lawn pests. Not sure if it’s because of the DuoCide, but I have fewer fire ant mounds than my neighbors. When I do see them, Amdro makes quick work of them. The Ortho product Doc refers to is also good. If you live in SC, you always keep some on hand.

[@SingleStacked]

Satisfying spraying the mounds. Do a video on how to treat sod web worms.

[@chrislambert5249]

Morning Doc .. Do you get fire ants in your house? Do your pets mess with them?

[@McBain-qe2jh]

Fire ants are the Devil.

[@randydicotti3975]

Only FEMALE Fire Ants. Male Fire Ants do not have the capability to inject poison because the do not have stingers like the females do. Only females inflict pain and discomfort.

[@c.h.62]

(Gardentech sevin 10 pound bags insect killer lawn granules) from Lowes and use spreader over large area does fairly well too. Maybe cheaper than bait spreader.

[@tenncutt]

How do you feel about the brown granular for mounds? Seems to work sometimes and not others

[@christianspain3015]

That is bifenthrin. He is spraying it in his sprayer

[@toddhite5236]

What ratio of the chemicals are you using for your sprayer?

[@kmaxx1493]

Doc, I haven't read any comments below, but for future reference, use some rubbing alcohol to treat the bites. The quicker the better. Fire ants are a pain in the ***. PS - Orthene fine granular works really well where I am. They eat it and take it into the mound for their buddies to snack on. They're all DOA.

[@WhittyPics]

That double kill has been killing my ants. Every time I tried to spot treat them they just move their piles somewhere else

[@jameslemison9747]

Doc, can you share a link for the white clover seed you use?

[@HowTowithDoc]

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00164SA88/

[@belindaayewoh437]

Hi Doc. What do you use around the perimeter of your home?

[@HowTowithDoc]

Same mix in the tank. It also kills termites.

[@biggetl1319]

I use Talstar P. It works very well. I keep some flags with me on the mower and flag the mounds than go back with the sprayer and treat them. Sometimes I think it's a losing battle.

[@underthetornado]

Careful of Talstar. It's very strong.

[@ricbailey170]

Syngenta 😅Demon works well in a tank sprayer too.

[@jayberwanger]

Luckily, I havent had fire ants, but never say never. I've talked to a few pest control guys over the years. I live in California and they tough restrictions on insect killer you can buy at places such as: Lowe's, Home Depot, Ace, etc. My friends said you can get better products in Arizona and Nevada for insect killer. Could anyone tell me what insect killer products I could buy in Nevada that I couldn't get in California? This is a great channel. The information is sublime.

[@runngunn]

I find when I dust the mounds they just pickup and move about 5 feet over and start another mound. I have used all the various treatments and none seem to make any difference.

[@suzrmx250]

Doc l am dealing with leaf cutter ants. Those can't be kill by the same methods as fire ants . Any ideas?

[@terriewilliams8831]

Wow. I add the gradular fire ant treatment into my drop spreader when fertilizing and spot treat mounds also but the ants/ant hills seem to go underground, relocate and pop bace up somewhere else in my yard. Maybe I'm not adding enound fire ant granules when fertilizing or I need to spread fire ant treatments more often

[@MichaelP-ns]

Amrdro - it's pricey but works fast

[@MrSiikSnipz]

Anybody know the backpack prayer he’s using. Seems way easier than walking around constantly having to pump the tank pressure back up manually.

[@weekendhomeprojects]

I stepped / stood on a fire ant pile a day after making a KZbin Short about killing ants. Watch you're back fellow tuber. They're a revengeful creature.

[@zigzag9133]

What do they eat?

[@rogersmith3960]

Okay didnt know about the queen male and female wings

[@SouthFloridaSunshine]

Orange oil you can even make it yourself if you want a more organic method. Look it up :) New subscriber, hubby is in the lawn and ornamental business and did not know about using orange oil. But he also likes the faster chemical solutions for work but in my garden and the backyard I ask him to not use them. So far so good.

[@cindygu2175]

Thank you from Abilene, Texas!

[@danielleardolino5526]

Hey Doc! So if I’m needing to kill weeds and fertilize but also need to get rid of ants which do I do first?

[@rodbritton360]

IMHO (as a Hort whose personal property is in a Fire Ant Treatment Area), fire ant treatment first (because you may have to go back one or two repeat applications. Then, selective herbicide for weeks, then fertilise. Mind you, I wouldn't lose too much sleep over it. Done is better than perfect. I would just get on with whatever best fits to current weather. Eg. Often you need to water in after fire ant treatment, hence you can do in the rain, whereas selective herbicide spray you can't. Hence, work with your current weather conditions.

[@PeterBlumenthal-tr4ri]

Real interesting. You worked like a pro man. How can there be so many nests in one field? It's crazy. You should start your own conpany and start doing this for customers, you could earn some big bucks.. Thank God we don't have fire ants in Europe 😅

[@andersonb8925]

Doc, Talstar P from "Do MY Own" is a good liquid product for all types of insects, stronger than the big box stores and comparable in price, and more reasonable... Got rid of my mounds and my neighbors why I didn't have any... Looked like you were having fun, and getting her done...

[@nawtyshygirl6468]

Doc we can scan the QR code with our smart phones, to get the lawn guides.

[@durangodave]

that much land use a small tractor with a rake and sprayer

[@durangodave]

i use a poking stick because they have soldiers around the nest to get you.

[@MatthewSmith-cp3hu]

hey doc i have heard the pesticides remain in boots and deliver it to your skin, i know that dried permethrin is ok but the others may be a hazard to you

[@MatthewSmith-cp3hu]

bayer maxforce looks like good stuff Advion Fire Ant Bait by Syngenta is also said to be excellent

[@marques1347]

I got an outdoor cat; I’d hope the cat has some instinct to keep away but anyone know of any risks to pets?

[@clawhammer704]

In my area of North Carolina the fire ants have literally took over. Iv seen hills 8, 9 inches tall. Go thru a bottle or two every year on these just in my five acres. 😮 they are really the worst Iv seen them this year.

[@teamginger9134]

Nope. DDT is about the only thing that works, but no longer available

[@brendamoon2660]

Will borax kill fire ants the way it does regular ant?

[@MellowGypsy]

I keep puttinf stuff down but a new mound pops up next day. Cant seem to kill the Queen 😢 More worried about my dog than my own ankles.

[@adamghazal9204]

Thanks doc!

[@bethalvarez6956]

This isn’t going to work in horse pastures too many chemicals

[@sheilamorin8868]

That was my question ty

[@dg8994]

Agreed, I don’t use any chemicals around my horses.

[@sheilagrubb1079]

Same - I have goats and chickens

[@smith4407]

The last few years they been really bad.

[@calvinhenderson4200]

We were all worried about the invasion of killer bees while the true problem coming was fire ants. Attack of the Killer Ants should have been a movie.

[@TheresaPrentice-hl9um]

Spray your ant bite with ammonia right after the bite.

[@trulysurprised-bk7cy]

People fear alligators in Florida. I fear fire ants. They got me pretty good over 2 weeks

[@jacksonpacker]

This is great.

[@cindygu2175]

Do you ever see any dead ant bodies?

[@liebekatz1]

They can tunnel about 8" or so under the soil. I hate these ants so bad. I have been stung so many times already this Spring. I would banish them from the planet if I could.

[@shainaponpin]

I got bitten in church before fire ants

[@nccrchurchunusual]

We have at least 4 different kinds of ants!! Cant stand in one place without getting crawled on and/ or bit.

[@soulheaven9243]

same way for me down here in east texas

[@davidcrowson4745]

Keep moving Doc... The couch will kill you ❤

[@braniganirby3586]

0:01 No😭😠

[@MatthewSmith-cp3hu]

seems like all you do is work

[@normajohnson6537]

Carpenter bee's hate!!

[@michaelwillcutt2619]

Liquid bayer bio advance termite carpenter aint killer anna pump sprayer instant kill

[@mechanicmike2858]

we have big red ants here can you recommend a mixture for these spawn of satan

[@bryanmadewell709]

First

[@TinasCrazyLife]

Too much unrelated endless talking.