Make Your Yard ANT FREE FOREVER In 3 Easy Steps

In this video, I share 3 easy steps to make your yard ant free forever! Ants in your yard and garden can be a nuisance, and fire ants and biting ants can cause serious health hazards. Preventing ants is key to enjoying your yard and garden. Luckily, permanent ant control is possible with the steps outlined in this video!
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
0:00 Getting Rid Of Ants Intro
1:07 Why Ants Love Your Yard
3:25 Step 1: Defending Against Ants
8:09 Step 2: Offensive Strategy
9:48 Step 3: Permanent Ant Prevention
12:52 Preventing Ants Summary
14:25 Adventures With Dale
If you have any questions about keeping ants out of garden beds and how to keep ants away from your yard, have questions about growing fruit trees or want to know about the things I grow in my raised bed vegetable garden and edible landscaping food forest, are looking for more gardening tips and tricks and garden hacks, have questions about vegetable gardening and organic gardening in general, or want to share some DIY and "how to" garden tips and gardening hacks of your own, please ask in the Comments below!
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ABOUT MY GARDEN
Location: Southeastern NC, Brunswick County (Wilmington area)
34.1°N Latitude
Zone 8A
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© The Millennial Gardener
#gardening #garden #gardeningtips #antcontrol #insectcontrol

[@TheMillennialGardener]

If you enjoyed this video, please "Like" and share to help increase its reach! Thanks for watching 😊TIMESTAMPS for convenience: 0:00 Getting Rid Of Ants Intro 1:07 Why Ants Love Your Yard 3:25 Step 1: Defending Against Ants 8:09 Step 2: Offensive Strategy 9:48 Step 3: Permanent Ant Prevention 12:52 Preventing Ants Summary 14:25 Adventures With Dale

[@sam6907]

I've enjoyed your videos. I'm in SC and also enjoy gardening and taking care of the chickens. We have plenty of sand and ants as well. So thanks and take care.

[@spoonnwithsunshinehomestead]

Definitely gonna give this a try!

[@TruThat549]

Such amazing information! Thank you for sharing this valuable plan to eliminate ants.

[@christyw2010]

Love your videos!! Your advice is always so accurate and easy to follow. Thank you for your videos and of course the Adventures with Dale at the end. 🙏🐾🐾

[@Firedoutdoors]

can i use the poison garden bed bc they are in one of mine

[@billthorne1]

i use dry ice, a hot brick and a big soup pot. Place the hot brick next to the ant hill. Put the dry ice on top of the brick. Cover the brick and dry ice with the big soup pot making a solid seal with the ground. Put a weight on the soup pot to keep it in place. The CO2 released from the dry ice will penetrate the deepest areas of the nest -- ants, gophers or whatever underground pest you're pursuing -- and put them permanently asleep, leaving no toxic residue.

[@wayne251975]

Hot water is an excellent remedy. If hot enough the steam will compound the effect.

[@debistanley2791]

Love this! Thank you!

[@DianneLopez-po8st]

Ty

[@farmeunit]

Great idea. Never heard of it.

[@jennymartinez4597]

@billthorne1, TY! This solution is so important to me because I have a Big lovable, seizure Dog who can’t have any pesticides like Sevin in her environment or it brings on massive GM seizures! & in TX we have ants! ❤ & Blessings on you! I will try this. Where do you find your Dry ice?

[@tressastanton1300]

Grits works amazingly on any piles. The ant eats the grit, swells up and dies. The whole mound is gone! I have been using grits for over 10 years. Use at least half a box and if the mound is huge a whole box. I have only have to do a second application a handful amount of times. Really works and organic.

[@ak0p.]

Do you mean Quaker grits? The breakfast food?

[@patiencekates5975]

Thank you!

[@sn232]

What type specifically do you use? Thank you

[@markskibo5159]

sounds expensive

[@tony-el1dx]

Will that hurt chickens

[@lynlalalala]

I personally don't like to use anything on my garden that I can't use with my bare hands. For ant hills and ground wasp nests; I squirt 1/2 to 1 cup of Dawn into the hole, then use the garden hose to soak the Dawn down into the hole. For the ground wasps; apply early morning or evening, after the wasps are in their nests. Works every time!

[@carolynmcbride3136]

My dad used to trade a shovelful from one anthill with another & they would kill each other off...Worked pretty good!

[@jdub8766]

😄😆

[@Mantras-and-Mystics]

😂😂😂

[@michaelpaliden6660]

Let them fight

[@katie7748]

Huh...not a bad idea actually

[@ACE-kn4vc]

Death match

[@gcdcpakmbs]

I use a totally organic solution. In the growing season 1. Put down organic fertilizer. 2. Put down dry molasses. 3. Spray with Actively aerated compost tea, or use a product like Medina Soil activator to populate with beneficial microorganisms. 2. Cover with 1/2" of compost. Water like you normally water your grass. Re-activate the microorganism (in step 3) once a month for 3 months. Your soil will be healthier, your garden will do better provided you are gardening organically. I do this and outside my property line there are dozens and dozens of fire ant mounds. Nothing on my property at all. It is simply too hostile an environment for ants, fleas, ticks, and termites. And the bees and butterflies flourish. After a rain, I sometimes get a couple of fireant mounds. I can either treat them with orange oil and molasses, or just wait a couple of weeks - they'll move on.

[@danyelunderwood1119]

Hi, could you share more details about the fertilizer and spray you use and how to make?

[@LynnRPerry]

I have read orange oil and Dawn soap also work well.

[@dianacarr5515]

Just FYI - try cornmeal. We have horses and lots of ants. Because horses love to graze, putting chemicals on their pastures is not ideal. Someone told us about cornmeal. The ants love it, they eat it and when they drink water the cornmeal swells and kills them. It is super effective, non toxic, great for garden, great for fungal infections and gets rid of ants quickly and effectively. Drawbacks ... *Not as effective on rainy days - for obvious reasons. * we do broadcast spreading but only in heavily infested areas - like our barn and feed areas. * it is better as a spot treatment * it has to be reapplied as needed. Not a once done. In and around our barn, we may do monthly or every other month. A lot depends on the weather. We use a hand spreader. We also keep an old large plastic chive spice container filled with cornmeal to spot treat occasionally. It's super effective but does require reapplication as needed. The bonus ... it's doesn't hurt the beneficial like worms etc

[@GinaKayLandis]

I have 4 raised beds - two are 2' x 4' and two are 2' x 2'. Broadcasting cornmeal may actually work in those! Thanks!

[@axlmcload]

Thank you! at least something natural and not bad for birds and other insects!

[@adriankap2978]

I can appreciate the hard work you put in to sharing your advice. For ants I use Terro liquid baits or I sprinkle down cinnamon around the ant hills that I find. They hate the cinnamon smell and vacate within a few hours after applying. The baits do the same of attracting ants and they then take it back to the nest and kills the queen. I use small terra cotta saucers upside down to place the baits then cover with plastic cups with small ant size only notches on the lip edge for access and is water and rain proof. Keep in mind that your pup will absorb the chemicals thru there pads and people shouldn't go barefoot where you've put it down. I'm really not trying to criticize but just trying to keep everyone safe and until it was pointed out to me from my neighbor, I wouldn't have thought of that either. I just feel we need to think about what we're putting on the ground so it doesn't seep down to our ground water/aquifers. Thank you again.

[@annette-thetwistedsister8727]

Thats a great idea, will put bait around ant home and cover with terracotta pots so nothing else can eat it or go near it... thanks for that.

[@cmb52]

Absolutely!!!

[@LynnRPerry]

Super idea. I really worry about the animals, especially the Labs and this sounds great. Might have to put a pretty heavy weight on those pots though Labs are snoopy and want to pick up anything interesting in the yard.

[@ladyj02]

Wouldn't the cinnamon trick just encourage them to rebuild elsewhere around your home? A non-cinnamon area for instance.

[@bcb58bcb]

I moved from the north to Texas 6 years ago. The fire ants where awful. I started listening to a KZbin site called “How to with Doc”, so I could learn to take care of our lawn. Doc suggested products for your lawn by The Anderson’s. One product I learned about was “HumicDG”and I mmediately started using it. It helps to nourish the soil. The last couple of years they have come out with another product called “Humichar”, (he has a whole video explaining how it works) which is what I use now. I have been using all this stuff and my soil under my grass is rich and black about 4 inches down. I have no ants anymore. Just though I would share this in case you wanted to use it on your front lawn and the back area where your dog loves to play, and it is natural!

[@4bubbabites]

We have fire ants here in Arkansas badly. Since we quit using Chem pesticides, we've found baking soda & white vinegar works well. It's also a fun reaction to watch lol. Just sprinkle a good amount of baking soda on the mound and pour the vinegar over it. For pests in the garden we've found neem oil and diatomaceous earth to be effective weapons as well. Thanks for your videos MG!

[@jonas3333]

Excellent. We all need to move away from the use of toxic chemicals!

[@4bubbabites]

@@stm5578 take a stick or something to disturb the mound. Immediately pour a generous amount of soda followed by pouring the white vinegar on top. Equal parts of each should be enough. Typically I’ll drag the heel of my boot or kick the mound, but beware they’ll attack lol. By disturbing the mound first you’ll ensure it gets in there good.

[@4bubbabites]

@@stm5578 wait 15 minutes, then repeat the process as necessary

[@jimnagel5611]

INDEED THIS GUY OBVIOUSLY HAS MONEY TO BURN -- THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS -- I USE DIATOM EARTH TOO -- AND BORIC ACID -- BORIC ACID & SUGAR OF SOME KIND -- OR MIXED WITH SOME KIND OF PROTEIN (PEANUT BUTTER) & YOU'LL GET THE ROACHES TOO -- 20 MULE TEAM BORAX WORKS TOO -- I DONT HAVE AN ENDLESS SOURCE OF MONEY LIKE THIS GUY

[@4bubbabites]

@@jimnagel5611 I learned the boric acid trick with roaches back 90s, this old Chinese man told me to boil a potato, poke holes in it with a pencil and pour it into the holes letting it soak in. I was blown away by the results!

[@tworebelsoffgrid]

This is great information! We purchased 36 acres in SE AZ and we have exactly the type of soil you talked about in the video. Although we probably will not be able to change the structure of all the soil on our property, we can at least work on the areas close to our living area. We actually were bit several times while putting our fence up at the end of last summer and feel your pain about the flip flops...I definitely wouldn't wear those around until we get them under control!

[@johncmitchell4941]

Excellent video here, esp for those of us with similar soil. btw, for everyone regardless of lawn, garden or home invasion of ants the downfall of any asphalt, paver, concrete pavement (besides weeds) is the nature of ants to tunnel beneath and eventually undermine them. Using a perimeter defense as shown here is vital to ensuring their longevity in many ways.

[@trinatj]

Your channel popped up on my algorithm because my daughter and I was chatting about homesteading and gardens; we’re from NJ and now reside in Charlotte. Your channel has been a Godsend. I’ve been binge watching all week. Thank you for sharing a wealth of knowledge!!!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I'm glad it's helpful! I'm also from NJ, so it seems we're on a similar trajectory!

[@vikkirountoit497]

PLEASE add a note to your description stating if this is a safe strategy for property on water - SO much of eastern NC is on water and we need to know if these products can be an issue for all of the life that calls our water home. Critical also for the many of us that consider that water life to be a food source.

[@lynlalalala]

Do your research before applying product... 😉

[@robertevans8024]

Part of the life cycle of nightcrawlers is coming up onto the lawn to mate and feed on decaying matter. These poisons affect them as well. And the residues leach deep into the sub surface. So your not only killing ants, but grubs and worms, and all those other insects that help break down decaying plant matter.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Some of this is true. Some of it isn't. Yes, it will harm all insects that dwell on the surface of the lawn. No, they do not leach deep into the subsurface. One of the things these products are known for is being quickly bound within the soil. There are so many lies spread about products like these by the automatic "everything not organic bad" culture. As with anything, you need to understand how it works, read the labels carefully and apply strictly as directed. Here is good information on pyrethoids like bifenthrin: npic.orst.edu/factsheets/bifgen.html#wildlife "Bifenthrin is not likely to reach groundwater because it binds tightly to soil. However, soil-bound bifenthrin has the potential to contaminate surface waters through runoff. Bifenthrin on soil surfaces is unlikely to become airborne." When applied in a targeted approach in perfectly dry weather exactly as directed on lawns only, you should mostly target the "bad" insects. Keep in mind, as discussed in the video, this is a measure for people overwhelmed with problems. A lot of us have such bad infestations that you can't even let your pets outside without getting bitten, so we have little choice. If you don't have infestations of dangerous ants, you can simply spot treat and work on your soil culture as discussed within the second half of the video.

[@lorilynn6563]

I agree. We humans are destroying this earth with chemicals that do more harm than good. If I can't drink it or eat it without causing harm to myself, I'm certainly not going to put it on my lawn. Every single chemical leeches into the water & those who have private wells water their garden with your chemicals, they provide water to their chickens with those chemicals and even drink the water themselves.

[@sonyasviolin]

@@TheMillennialGardener o

[@onlyyou5817]

I have two small 5 pound dogs and have always been hesitant to use the poisons in my yard. What's your opinion on that as I know you said they were harmful to cats.

[@wickedmageik1712]

@@TheMillennialGardener “not likely” does not mean “doesn’t happen” also you realize ants are a part of life? You don’t spray anything, ever. Organic or not isn’t the deal here. I don’t think YOU are the one who understands this. Maybe take a path to learn about chemicals in the environment and what it will do in long term as well as short term. Really. You’re giving advice so at this point you are held responsible for the people who listen and think “okay! I’m going to put insecticide over my yard for…. Ants.” Try building up NATURAL defenses of ants are THAT much of a bother to you somehow. Humans. This isn’t YOUR world. You’re just living on it. Quit ruining it for every other species including your own. Pathetic how blind people are.

[@maryanncrowl1624]

Fire ants love black land clay! I have a 30 acre farm and they are everywhere, some years worse than others but I would never wear flip flops until this summer when the drought was so bad that there were very few mounds in the pastures. However, they LOVE my garden. They love the composted, mulched beds. They love my compost bins. They love the wood chip mulch pile. They even love my 30" high metal raised garden beds that I got specifically to avoid the fire ants. I've used a product called Come and Get It in my garden specifically b/c it is approved for organic gardening. I've tried everything natural for the past several years - orange oil worked the best but they just keep popping up - and typically when it is time to plant out my garden, I have fire ants in the beds, the compost, etc. For the fall I am trying a new approach. I am using the Come and Get It in the garden area but I am going to break down and use Amdro in the mounds outside of my garden fence. Inside the area where the garden is but not in the garden itself, I may consider spreading Sevin. I don't know. But I need to do something to discourage them from getting close to my garden in the first place. Thank you for your information and enthusiasm.

[@ruciradevidasi6020]

very instructional, thank you, still going to be difficult here in central florida, but perfect for raised beds and growing melons.

[@tuckertruckerpatriot312]

My experience with the weed mat is that the ants build massive nests underneath it.

[@justaskin8523]

I also don't like the weed mat that doesn't decompose, and that's because it prevents earthworms from escaping the rain. There's a huge nursery here in Central Florida, called Lukas Nursery (in Oviedo, northeast of Orlando), and I've noticed that within the last 2 years or so, they have replaced almost all of their weed mat with gravel. I keep forgetting to ask them what underlayment they are using.

[@tactileslut]

If they push sand through the cracks in the driveway I can't see them having trouble with fabric. Ortho Orthene is my revenge powder of choice, applied with a Sevin dust shaker outside or a plastic knife behind the electrical wall plates inside.

[@lizellehattingh281]

Same here!!!

[@Eduardo_Espinoza]

@justaskin8523 Do you know how thick the gravel layer has to be?

[@georgeadcock2347]

I have been to Lucas's dozens of times. I Will ask them and post it..

[@Angie-mm9rn]

Great video easy to understand and follow, great advice which I'll try to implement to the letter. Thank you, Millennial Gardener!!

[@Cynbad333]

Thank you so much for sharing all this info. I'm a Master Gardener in SW Virginia and we have property in the OBX area as well. You nailed it!

[@kpag3030]

You can create a less sandy lawn for sure by spreading compost as a top dressing a couple of times a year. In a few years, you will have an inch or two or more of transformed soil and also still have a lawn. A healthy looking lawn. And very little environment for ants to thrive.

[@skLuke638]

We live in NE Georgia with red clay/granite. Red ants thrive everywhere here. In 2021, we were in a terrible car accident. When we were pulled out of the car by Samaritans and put on the ground away from the accident that was about to catch fire, these native Georgia ants that live in the red dirt(without mounds) began biting us in our legs. The good thing (in the midst of this tragic accident) they kept us alert until the EMT could get to us. Not that it was pleasant, but we were coherent enough to communicate with our family & give vital information to EMTs before becoming unconscious. So much for red ants. In our property out in the country, we have used fighting techniques. We will take a shovel load from one mound to another. Sometimes, we will add even a third mound, and they will fight each other, appearing to fight to the death. In our front yard years ago, we planted Zoyzia, which was with plugs and time-consuming. But the roots are so thick, very little weeds, nor ants can get thru it. It is beautiful when it turns green in the spring & doesn't grow tall.

[@shancan6328]

Interested in the Zoyzia idea. I'll look into it. Thanks for comment.

[@skLuke638]

@Shan Can a of the end of February the grass is still dormant &the only thing that has come up recently is the wild onions. Once the grass turns green again, it will be beautiful and low growing but thick.

[@shancan6328]

@@skLuke638 Thanks Kathy.

[@kmyase1]

I turned my sandy soil into moist top soil and it definitely got rid of most ant hills.

[@hiloviking]

I use a borax solution and put it in small disposable water bottles in which I’ve cut a small opening to allow easy pouring of a tablespoon or two of the solution into the bottle. I then place them wherever I see ants and in other random places where I can easily see the bottles so I can periodically put in another tablespoon or two of the solution. I wash the bottle out if a bunch of dead ants are in them, and rebait the bottle and put it back till no more ants die in them. So far this seems to have killed off the colonies because the worker ants drink the solution then take it back to the nest and some goes to the queen which kills it and eventually every ant that consumes it dies. Many of the ants also die in the bottle. No doubt the colonies will return but by leaving the bait bottles out at random places it seems to have kept them at bay as any new ants get killed off. I keep the solution in a bottle and pour from it into the bait bottles. I like this method because it is economical, easy and effective. The solution is made by mixing the following: 0.5 cups sugar, 1.5 Tbls powdered borax, 1.5 cups warm water, 1 - 2 teaspoons of honey. Mix till completely dissolved.

[@satishchandrakodagally7945]

Wow! This is awesome information. For container gardening, Change the soil structure and/or just add a fabric to the base so they can't throw out soil to build their homes. Thanks a ton 🙂

[@BenNawrath]

Great video! I'm an engineer too, so I appreciate your systematic approach. A word on lawns... since I'm more off a lawn guy than a garden guy. I live on Long Island where it's also sandy. I get ants especially in and around my patio. Over the last few years that I've really been getting into lawn care, I've been trying to loosen up my soil and add organic matter where I can with top dressing and humic acid. Between that and a couple of apps of insect preventer, I've seen my ant situation drop dramatically. I never thought the organic matter would be part of it until you mentioned it, but it's all kind of making sense now! Moral of the story, if you also want a nice lawn (I have a dog and an 8 yr old son), improving the soil conditions for the grass likely helps the any situation too!

[@debistanley2791]

Why not just use the mulch and and organic matter. It may take longer but no poison to the good bugs and wildlife.

[@BenNawrath]

@@debistanley2791 humid acid is a naturally occurring thing. It’s basically part of the decomposition process of organic matter. So I’m giving my lawn something the microbes can actually digest and thus make the nutrients bioavailable to the grass. And don’t forget, in this case “organic” is the chemical definition, containing carbon. Not the the one related to food. Unless you have a mower that does an abnormally good job at mulching grass, it just takes forever to break down and actually cakes up on the surface of your soil creating too much thatch. So people mulch all year then dethatch their lawn and remove it? Seems silly.,, so I bag my clippings and use them as compost for the future or mulch for my gardens. Your lawn likes compost, not mulch… we put mulch in our gardens to keep weeds from growing, not good for the lawn. Like I said, my ant problem has gone down and I use less and less ant killer, and lately I really just target the ant hills. I concentrate on mechanical solutions for my lawn, mowing more often, thatching, top dressing, and then add some fertilizer and humic. And before you jump on that “chemical” bandwagon, lawn fertilizer is various combinations of nitrogen phosphorus and potassium. Those are elements. And the bag will tell you where they come from (urea is a common nitrogen source). Everything has a chemical name… many we can’t pronounce. It doesn’t mean they’re bad. Why do you think vitamins are lettered?

[@gregsanderson2470]

​@@BenNawrath your right being organic doesn't mean safe ! Think about poison ivy , it's organic. Apple seeds contain poison.

[@BenNawrath]

@@gregsanderson2470 I use poison ivy as an example all the time! Also you can measure the calories of a chunk of tree bark, doesn’t mean your body can do anything with it… same with grass, not all forms of nutrients are easily absorbed.

[@scottiopizza7565]

I'm from LI no fire ants there when I left, do you have them? I would be surprised..

[@robpar5282]

Awesome video, thank you for taking the time to learn the subject matter and explain it to us. Excellent job!

[@kaylas4132]

You can trust him his yard looks great!!

[@dogsareawomansbestfriend]

I had withdrawn my Ant Killer Company when the year was done. I'm so glad your channel popped up!!

[@vlunceford]

We have heavy clay at our home in NW Georgia AND we have fire ants galore! I don’t want to spread Sevin or other synthetic chemical products on my lawn but I have had pretty good success treating individual anthills with a mixture of 1-2 ounces cold-pressed orange oil and a glug of Dawn in a gallon of water.I pour the entire gallon on the anthill - if it’s very large, I might use 2-3 gallons.It works very, very well and eliminates having to treat my entire yard. I do occasionally treat individual anthills with Amdro or a similar product. I have also had ants build homes in my well-composted raised beds - definitely not light sand - and I can use my orange oil directly in my raised beds.

[@myurbangarden7695]

I have heard that orange 🍊 oil is good. I will try it.

[@LifeWithTurks]

I have ants in my raised beds. So you just add orange oil and a few squirts of dawn to a gallon container and pour it? I can’t see the ant mound inside my bed but I know it’s there because I see the ants crawling around in the bed. Should I pour the mix in the entire bed or dig to find the mound and pour it on that? Will the Orange oil/dawn mix affect my plants that are in the bed?

[@morganconley7111]

Yeah the whole ants won't live on organic matter thing is simply not true. The only two places I've been fighting ants in my whole yard is in my raised bed which I grow in 100% compost and in my compost pile itself. Both full of organic matter.

[@barbarac4750]

I used to spray the Argentine ants with strong peppermint oil water, it worked but peeled paint

[@sn232]

Same question as others - do you use orange oil, or orange oil/water/dawn on the raised beds, and does it affect the growth of your vegetables? Thank you

[@joycehandersonfriends3225]

I tried something in my 2 small 4x8 ft raised bed gardens a few years back that was expensive but it worked. Since I didn't want anything in my garden that might not be safe, I just bought some large cans of black pepper and sprinkled it all over any fire ants I saw. It didn't kill them but they would move elsewhere, away from my garden. However after a few rains they came back and I had to do it again.

[@suerogers2931]

Ideas may be good for you but the fire ants love red clay. They will tunnel through 12" of mulch to get to the red clay to make Tunnels for their homes. Extinguish does a pretty good job on Them.

[@suerogers2931]

7 does work well on all ants except fire ants.

[@suerogers2931]

7 will take care of yellow jackets nest.

[@jaylewis8789]

Tip 3 worked for me. Along with Amgro. Watering helps as well the ants don't like wet soil.

[@CapitanFantasma1776]

Your knowledge has really been helping me here in Annapolis MD. Thanks so much!

[@quetzalflight5790]

Thanks for the info. I'll use your tips. I used the cinnamon powder method in and out the house. It really functions. I also use the combination of water vinegar and liquid floor cleaner lavender also functions. Thanks again.

[@denisepacetti4559]

Awesome and excellent video with real working and accurate advice. Lifetime Florida resident here. But as a very important add on - to do what you have done (and admirable it truly is!) one must be vigilante and dedicated to the routine of discovery and annihilation immediately. I haven't achieved the level of perfection you have, but I'm still diligently trying! 😁

[@OleensEmbroidery]

That is what I have been doing. Every other day I walk the property looking for the first signs of fire ants. I have eradicated hundreds of hills since buying this property a year ago. Pretty much ant free now. I will continue the patrols.

[@perspectiveiseverything1694]

Florida is a whole other level. Fire ant nests ARE our soil! 😉

[@MikeSmith-nu9wt]

You step in them a few times it brings back that deligence..lol It's that time of year ..my place , the whole 40 acres is to damp for them , swamp land , but the yard ain't ..uugggghhhh .

[@donnabaldinell5409]

I just found your information today and have enjoyed your content!! Thank you for putting out so much to help others!!

[@HEOEvgeny]

It's the most sophisticated and researched i count insights. In TX we have a lot sandy, clay soil

[@rmburn9634]

Perfect information for you and most people. I live in south Florida and have been adding organic material; literally tons worth, over 18 years. Returns to sand in months. I also will only use chemicals in my yard at last resort. (fleas from neighbors animals) I have chickens and a McCaw and dont want those chemicals in my yard. The amdro is targeted and I love that. In fact a fire ant colony is somewhere in my raised bed so I need to get some soon. I have red ants in my front yard and dont have any fire ants there, I think the red ants keep them at bay. In my backyard I have no ants because the chickens are there.

[@gofigure4920]

I find using my used coffee grinds deter the ants to another area so you can keep it out of your garden beds or fruit bushes, trees, veggie plants than use the amdro. 👍🏻

[@melinda3196]

I used the "let the ants fight" method and it works every time! I put ants from one mound on a different mound. Somehow they all leave because they don't like invader ants....in about an hour, NO ANTS

[@sandracastle42]

How do you move the ants without getting bitten?

[@s.williams8985]

@@sandracastle42 ++++ She Probably Scoops & Quickly Dumps Them To Other Mounds With A Shovel. I Would Have A Can Of Ant Spray To Spray The Shovel Afterwards. 🤔🤷‍♀️

[@gonzopenguin]

@@sandracastle42 use a shovel

[@jimdavis1566]

@@sandracastle42 really fast

[@sandracastle42]

@@jimdavis1566 yeah right?

[@markbooth3066]

Nice video, thanks for the advice. So far, we have just been using an Offence strategy, using Spinosad based granules, but the nests keep coming back, so I like the idea of using your defensive and protective strategies to complement this. Sadly the Sevin granules aren't available in the UK. The closest I can find are a Deltamethrin based spray that lasts 3 months and covers 50 sq.m with 5L, and a Cypermethrin based spray that covers 100 sq.m with is a 5L, but only lasts 6 weeks and is 3x the price, so I'll give the former a try and see how it works out.

[@markbooth3066]

@@AlexMartin-cv6cq It seems likely. I know that we have been campaigning against allowing Chlorinated Chicken to be exported to the UK since before we left the EU and became able to negotiation trade deals that would allow it.

[@matthewhowe3727]

About 4oz of Dawn dish soap to 1-2 gallons of water. Won't prevent them but I've used it twice now and it worked awesome.

[@markbooth3066]

@@matthewhowe3727 If you're in the U.S. why wouldn't you just buy the chemicals suggested in the video?

[@zabajart]

Interesting video, I have taken gardening classes with my local extension office here in Middle Georgia, and was always told not to throw sand over the yard to help grass grow, we have heavy clay soil, so when I aerate my lawn and dethatch it I usually use a combination of evergreen topsoil and mix in compost to fill in bare spots and don’t usually have fire ant issue that I can control with Ortho ant killer on the few mounds I find

[@myurbangarden7695]

Fire ants are a painful nuance here in Texas. After the rain 🌧️ they build HUGE mounds. This year I covered large areas of my lawn with leaves and landscaping fabric. So far so good.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Keep in mind as the leaves break down, they will compact into a silt that will allow the mounds to be built. Fresh organic matter prevents them, because it is well aerated and they can't build since it won't hold shape. Once organic matter decomposes, they can begin to build. The key is constantly applying fresh compost and mulch, because that constant supply keeps the area structurally unsound.

[@4zooflorida]

Aww, your fire ant hills are so cute! We live in Florida, and our ant hills are numerous and yuuge! I see eight right now, looking in the back yard acreage. I use one of those Amdro containers every time I treat. They come up in our pool pavers, my garden, my compost bins, pretty much everywhere. I just cleared some out of our package delivery bin up front, because they didn’t want to deliver our packages in it. I will try to drive them away from the house and garden using your suggestions.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

@@4zooflorida it’s February. In 4 months I’ll show you hills the size of a basketball.

[@4zooflorida]

@@TheMillennialGardener I know you do better job keeping yours under control than we. With ten acres, we pick our battles.😉 Plus, I didn’t realize fire ants made it to the Carolinas. Thanks for the good info!

[@bryanbennett972]

@@4zooflorida Same here. With a 1/4 or 1/2 acre lot it is feasible to put up a fight. Like you, here on the farm we can only deal with the ones near the house. For the rest, I would go broke buying and treating all the fire ant mounds. Occasionally I will burn some of them out when they get good sized..

[@melindawallin3713]

Hey North Carolina, California here. Really enjoyed your get rid of ants video, doesn't matter where you are, ants are a real menace to the garden, I have tried the borax solution with no success. I have also tried sprinkling around diatemaceous earth which who knows if it's doing anything. No lawn so no Sevin but I will try your other recommendations and see if it works Anyway , thanks for the well done and informative video.

[@terib3625]

A previous had installed weed barrier in flower beds & I was have ant problem inside my house. When I discovered the weed barriers underneath were huge ant beds. I removed the barriers & finally got rid of ants but took several years.

[@raijeimdouglas3289]

this is by far the best video i have seen explaining how to rid yourself of ants, im starting a garden project soon and i have been battling ants for two years since i bought my house. Thank you

[@TheMillennialGardener]

You're welcome!

[@teenagardner3623]

Great content 👌 I've been struggling for while as the ants were all in my garden. I actually wear slippers outside doing work cause they are easier to get off if I do not know I've stepped in ants. Dale is so cute. His face was pretty serious. "Don't play with my emotions, Dad," my Bear does same thing lol

[@lindageorge6663]

No

[@davidmatlou186]

​@@lindageorge6663 ß

[@davidbarnes8315]

Once again MG man you delivered a spot on ,and solid information that makes complete sense to go with!!! You really enlighten our wonderful journey in being the best we can with our food garden 🏡 thank you for your inspiration !!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Thank you! I'm glad the video was informative. It's been quite the learning experience moving here to the coastal Carolinas, because I never had any of these problems living up north.

[@marymoore2962]

@@TheMillennialGardener l

[@El_Walt]

I love it. I’m def listening to an engineer about insect control. Very well thought out. TY. I subbed 👍

[@mohammedatik8324]

Really appreciate your hard work ,and sharing the out come 👍👍

[@ooohlaa13]

I hear you ... I moved to FL after living in Hawaii for 15 years where there were NO biting ants. I was innocent when I moved to FL and first I cleaned out my house gutters and got nearly a hundred bites up my arms from fire ants. In Hawaii I went everywhere barefoot, it was wonderful. I still forget after 20 years in FL not to go barefoot. Its so a part of my life and my freewheeling' soul that I have to deal with bites from various insects. Pot gardening here full of ants, they farm aphids over all the plants and its a nightmare. I have tried it all so eager to watch this video. Being organic I am concerned about toxic treatment so I avoided all that here for 20 years and finally gave up much gardening except for pots. I have 4 cats so concerned abut that since they were feral and are indoor/outdoor all day long busy coming and going!!!.

[@007DFWAngel]

Salt 🧂 works too as a barrier

[@ooohlaa13]

@@007DFWAngel How do you apply and where? Because pretty sure it is a ph changer and a killer as well and another thing here in Florida it attracts dampness, but I will try anything. Maybe a ring of salt around potted plants? Thanx I will keep in mind like around the picnic table.

[@annemongoose7648]

Pour vinegar on nest. Then pour baking soda. Any survivors will leave.

[@ooohlaa13]

@@annemongoose7648 Thanx will try ...I have lots of vinegar with hot pepper juice for 5 gals of specialty spicy pickles ... I have been saving it to use on weeds ... I will try on the ants, than

[@kenshinhimura9387]

​@@ooohlaa13 all that stuff is a waste of time. Trust me. I live in Florida. All you need is orange oil, dish soap and water. Put about a tablespoon of orange oil in a gallon of water. Squirt a bit of dish soap and mix up. Pour this mixture into the ant hill. It will eradicate all of them including the queen if you pour enough down the nest. If not you can always come back a day or two later and finish the job. It kills them almost instantly.

[@notatworklol]

Here in Texas fire ants are a pain. But I have been putting bait down in the spring after the mounds show up. I always sprinkle bait around my raised beds on the out side, so they don't make their home in my raised beds.

[@waverider174]

Thank you for helpful suggestions and guidance.

[@kodiak536kodiak536]

I live in Eastern NC and have some ant issues in my yard not really too bad. As you are, I don't do much in my front or rear of property due to non,existent HOA and trying to maintain good grass in the back yard. I have used the ant bait you mentioned and it works really well. But, they do come back eventually. My wife had spread some Savin, since she read it will take care of intrusions, BUT she knly did it once, therefore ants keep coming back. As for the soil, I shouldn't need any composting in my back yard, since I grow nothing other than grass and weeds, mostly centerpede mixed with weeds being spread from both of our neighbors. I've watched few of your videos and actually got the ant bait info from your other video👍

[@jowpopper790]

I've lived in the south now for about 3 decades and have learned a lot about fire ants. The colony nest reaches several feet deep. In fact one documentary said their tunnels can be 20 feet deep. Poisons basically move the ants to your neighbors. Glad your strategy worked for you.

[@anpsteph]

I live in Florida and my soil is very sandy. I have ants everywhere. You're right, nothing seems to work to kill them off, they just move. Ugh.

[@coppcar]

Yep, exactly where I want them, the neighbors yard. Just kidding.

[@gardentours]

Thanks for sharing 👍 We had so many ants in the garden last year. We had woodchips in the garden for the first time and they really like those woodchips.

[@laoguoba]

Great host! I really appreciate your attention to your location and the date your video is created, which provides me the reference to my situation.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Thanks! It's very important to reference, because without knowing where a person is, it's tough to figure out when to do things.

[@debbiejastrzebski6722]

I've found that peppermint oil sprinkled around and watered inti the dirt does help a little. Debbie

[@lagoya]

Dang I was really hoping for a solution that didn’t involve one of the worst insecticides. Oh well! Still appreciate your informative videos very much 🙂👍

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I mean, pyrethoids are far from one of the worst insecticides. They’re actually pretty safe as long as you don’t use them near waterways, streams and storm drains. You also can buy less potent brands. The point is, once you get it under control, you can mostly resort to small spot treatments and not have to use the granules anymore unless you have some severe outbreak.

[@EvolutionWendy]

@@TheMillennialGardener right I understood that, you explain why the long-lasting pyrethroids needs to be used just 1X, And ants are in no danger whatsoever of becoming extinct. I have clay soil in California with low humidity 100° summers, however your advice usually applies to me despite the humidity difference

[@rockjockchick]

@@EvolutionWendy true but other bugs such as bees are in danger

[@SwtTrisha8]

Great idea with the weed matting for walk ways!

[@bigrich6750]

I really learn a lot from your videos. I have a huge ant mound in a stump that was left from hurricane Sally. I filled the stump with compost and planted black berries in the stump but ants got into the stump. As you mention, they’re not in the compost but have build a huge mound on the side of the stump and into the ground. They go crazy every time I water the black berries, so your suggestions will be my strategy.

[@lindabirmingham603]

I live in NW SC and fire ants were a big problem in my new raised beds last summer. A master gardener from Clemson Home and Garden Info Center reviewed my soil test results with me and told me I had way too much organic matter in them. Sadly, loose organic soil didnt work for me.

[@Jeannette311]

Thank you for the video! Very helpful for me, I have severe ants in SC. I do have stray cats though in the neighborhood and I don't want to hurt them. I'm going to watch this a few more times, there's so much good info here!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

A lot of the toxicity warnings on pyrethrins/pyrethoids for cats come from flea shampoo. The active ingredient in most dog flea shampoos are pyrethrins, because dogs are not harmed by pyrethrins. Cats, on the other hand, are, so the people that see their cats harmed by pyrethrins are those that are using dog flea shampoo on their cats. That is a HUGE no-no, because cats are sensitive to pyrethrins, so using dog flea shampoo on cats can be very dangerous. People don't know that. They see flea shampoo for dogs and figure they can use it on their cats, too. That's the problem. Here is a good article explaining the problem: vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/pyrethrinpyrethroid-poisoning-in-cats Keep in mind when spreading bifenthrin granules or something like that on your lawn, that's a little different than submerging your cat in flea shampoo or giving them flea and tick preventative, which is where these problems occur. In this case, you would apply the granules around 5PM, turn on the sprinklers to water them in as directed, then let them dry fully. They have pet-safe instructions on the label you must read. Here is the label info: www.domyown.com/is-sevin-insecticide-granules-harmful-to-dogs-and-cats-qa-34171.html#:~:text=Sevin%20Granules%20are%20pet%20safe%20when%20used%20as,people%20are%20can%20return%20to%20the%20area%20safely.

[@Jeannette311]

@@TheMillennialGardener you are amazing, thank you so much. I don't want to hurt any poor cats in the neighborhood!

[@nimia8534]

Thank you x detailing the how and the don’t and do.👍🏾

[@TheMillennialGardener]

You're welcome!

[@infotechyeti]

thanks for the video. im a new home owner and have, what I think, multiple ant colonies in the back yard. ant bait and building a perimeter around the yard seems good. gonna head out right after work to get some ant bait and might use all of the grass clippings as a organic perimeter around the house to help. . i hope to have a small garden but would like to get rid of the ants first and clear up the yard.

[@va1445]

Ants are my greatest nemesis! I appreciate the video. Maybe we can actually hang out in our backyard this year.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

You're welcome! I hope you have success.

[@Angie-jg4nz]

I’m convinced we have a 5 acre, mutant ant farm, on my land. All sandy soil.

[@user-mz3yq1dk9p]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge with me!

[@srgoli07]

Hi, I like your nice gardening videos. Thnks for sharing your knowledge. One request - Looks like you have a sunroom kind of structure attached to your house in the backyard. I'm planning to get a similar one built at my house for winter coziness and saving my plants as well. I'm sure that there will be more people interested like me. Do you mind to make a small video on that structure ? Thanks in advance.

[@sharonaustin9701]

I live in Southern Alberta Canada. I used to live in right across the AB/BC . Our soil is black heavy soil. Very rich for gardening. Beside the Elf Valley River used to be a farm. This guy has mounds of ant hills on his land. He rips up the soil every year to destroy the mounds. He used to set fire to them by putting desiel fuel. This still didn't help. Borax and icing sugar helped I guess. Eventually he just stopped digging up the soil and left it as grass. I haven't seen it since then since I moved. My mothers place is the same for soil. But I found out something that really works. Used coffee grounds and cinnamon. They will not come near anywhere u put it. Its bad around Canada for flying ants. Big suckers! Once u introduce dried used coffee and cinnamon for a couple of years, the ants will move away. Great to use in flower beds and around trees but not in gardens. Only around the outside of the garden. Heard u can put cinnamon in ur compost before u use it in ur garden before winter.

[@GinaKayLandis]

Why not in gardens? acidity?

[@joniboulware1436]

I have a lot of used coffee grounds in my compost. Not just a little. - Starbucks bags full. I know they are not broken down yet, but fire ants moved in. They might repel your Canadian ants, but not Texas fire ants!

[@rockjockchick]

This is a natural cure I have not tried yet. I’ll see what happens.

[@PavethaWay]

Pour a pot of boiling hot water on the mound and its over...its not toxic and good for the enviornment. Its guaranteed to kill the nest in less than a min.

[@quartz3150]

Thanks. I'll try it again. I poured it over five ant mounds in my front yard. They didn't seem to mind much.

[@teresalegacy7099]

I have done this and it works perfectly!

[@idamcneill8005]

They will abandon that entrance to the mound, but the main nest can be many feet down & away, especially fire ants.

[@Thesheabuttercafe]

That didn't work this season the mound went down but these fire ants survived

[@G.G.8GG]

Tried this. They just regroup and move a few inches.

[@DiannasHomestead]

Thank you so very much for these tips. I've tried the borix and it didn't work so I'm definitely going to try your tips 😊

[@backcountrylifemagazine6912]

Food grade Diatomaceous Earth works great…. (For ticks too). Totally safe. Fine white powder, like talc. (Not the brown granulated stuff). Make piles around the property and use a leaf blower to blow it around. (Avoid breathing it like any other fine dust).

[@firebutterfly]

My whole neighborhood needs this. We have tiny ants that are very aggressive. I've been lucky to find a solution, but sheesh, the little monsters ... one neighbor lives in WV, but also has a smaller home here in NC. He leaves and has to put ant killer in his drains every single time he leaves. The trap dries out and the ants ring the drain when he comes back. The come from yards away for the tiniest scraps of crumbs or a tiny smear of oil from chicken. It's incredible.

[@venjielyntollola6924]

Very informative. Thank you very much. I'm a big fan of your channel from London, Ontario Canada. I've learned a lot from you. Looking forward to more videos this coming gardening season.

[@domenicpolsoni8370]

While informative this info is useless to us seeing as all cosmetic use of pesticides are banned here in Ontario. I suppose you could grab some in the States and bring it over but you won't find that stuff here.

[@swann331]

Awesome insight! Thank you for posting 🙌

[@user-by5kq5jx2u]

We have 2500 square feet of raised bed garden space in the Florida panhandle. We use weed mat in between much of that space. Our beds are made from very rich organic soil. It has been our experience that none of this is a problem for fire ants and we constantly battle them every year. Recently we have had fairly good success using “Cone and Get it” granules but nothing we have tried has proven to be a permanent fix. Ants are resilient, perhaps that’s why Proverbs instructs us to study them. Stay strong, stay diligent!

[@aibell4800]

I’ve used diatomaceous earth with fair success. Although I don’t have fire ants (NY) it works on regular ants.

[@donherndon6331]

Diatomaceous Earth does work on Fire Ants. It dries them out and is non toxic. Great for gardens and places where you must be 100% safe. However, we're going to add some of the suggestions in the video as well in areas that the DE just can't handle. I think DE is a great way to maintain once you have control.

[@barbaradoye1989]

I really like how you included organic alternatives! You did a great job on this video. Thank you for providing a valuable resource for both new and seasoned gardeners! Take care!

[@TheMillennialGardener]

You're welcome! I tried to cover all bases. It's difficult to explain this problem to those that don't have it. It can be so bad, and so *dangerous* that you can't use your yard, and a lot of folks just don't understand it. They're lucky.

[@cynthiamerryman]

​@@TheMillennialGardener can u do a video telling us pet safe alternatives??

[@kbuckmister65]

Thank you so much for this video! I live in the desert of SE NM and have a variety of little and that love to colonize my backyard and potted plants 😡. I’ve resorted to Seven Dust and find Ives’s with that in the yard but my pots could maybe use Andro on the ground by the pot. I’m definately going to try it.

[@70smusicmama]

I live just south of you in Wilmington. Been using Milorganite in grass and just use a homemade garlic spray neem etc. All this kept ants off my lawn and other pests My neighbor used everything in a bag and asked why i have no ants and he does still. I use cedar mulch also in my beds.

[@LoveandPeace1971]

I lived in Texas for 8 years. Although I miss the weather, I do not miss the bugs and the ANTS. I had both Sevin granules and Amdro. They work extremely well, even for those dreadful spiders that would scurry out of our yard during mowing. OMG. Thank you for the information and the nostalgia. ☺

[@julianokleby1448]

Orthene powder was what we used for fire ants in Texas. It killed the queen within 24 hours, and once the queen is dead, the mound is dead. It smells strongly of sulfur (or sulphur, depending on where you're from), but it works like a charm. We tried Amdro, Sevin, and just about everything else on the market to no avail until the Orthene.

[@MarcDufresneosorusrex]

😁

[@SocketSlinger]

I enjoyed your video and the tips you have given. I would like for you to clarify something about the ants we have in NC. There's a invasive type of black imported fireants that love moist decomposition like mulch, old wood, cardboard and other such things. They are tiny and not only bite but also sting and the reaction to most people is worse than a sweat bee but not quite as bad as a wasp. To me it's considerably similar to yellow jackets. They also love stacks of blocks, bricks, rocks and just about anywhere where there's compost and moisture close. Their nest are always in moist dark places and are very aggressive. They also have ground nests and hard to kill.

[@dee73]

You are right i decided to mulch around all the trees we had never had fire ants before it code to find out the mulch was eat up with fire ant eggs we spent hundreds of dollars trying to kill these things with little success so I really can't agree with the ants not building or laying eggs in the did the mulch in the fibrous material

[@theleefamily6446]

I have these also. I placed stepping stone pavers along the path in my fruit tree guild and many of the stones are now hiding some type of ant.

[@dmay1477]

Enjoyed the video! Good information! Thanks, Dale

[@johnnieheard2805]

Great video with very helpful information! Thanks

[@cziviski1110]

I will definitely be doing all that this year! Trying not to call a pest control company this year!

[@suzyhall3349]

I have huge fire ant hills and live in a very wet area. The front pasture has red clay a foot or so under ground, but the back us less clay. But regardless, the fire ants aren't daunted by the bog...they also love living in manure piles and large compost containers. So apparently they are adaptable.

[@MrChevelle83]

ive seen this as well ants are insanely adapatable! ive use the amdro on spot mounds and it works pretty good i like the boiling water in the raise beds but its super labor intensive and you gotta be on your A game of persistence

[@cynthiawolfe3419]

I agree. Our fire ants are very adaptable and we also have red clay. They are bad here in our part of NC and we live on 5 acres. We use bait and scalding hot water but it's time consuming.

[@kenshinhimura9387]

​@@cynthiawolfe3419 orange oil, dish soap and 1 gallon of water. Mix up and pour into the nest. Goodbye ants. Rinse and repeat for every nest you find.

[@garynicholls72]

Sweet video keep them coming. Hi Gary from the UK, here in the UK I tend to use Borax and sugar equal quantities , I just put a teaspoon of the mix on a line of ants as close to the main nest as possible and that will sort them out. They take the mix back to the nest and feed it to the Queen and it Will kill her, after that the ant colony will separate and split up job well done. Ps I don't know what the ant colony will do in the US but it works in the UK

[@rickyreese1223]

Not as toxic. I used baking soda with confectioners sugar 50/50 with a jug of ground cinnamon. Mix in a bucket. Scrape of top of ant hill. Then just a dusting at the center. Reapply 1 week later. Last nearly all summer.

[@stevebuchanan4829]

Nice Job, very thorough. I have some ant nests in my sand based patio areas covered by bricks. would you recommend just putting the poison around those areas where they have come to the surface? Other wise I guess they will destroy the patio itself by ruining it with their tunnels?

[@casharyah9429]

What can be done about ants in your raised beds and container garden? I just saw ants in my raised garden soil bags.

[@shonharris1524]

This was a big help for me!! I really appreciate you!!!!🙏🏽🙌🏽☺️ thank you!!!👍🏽

[@TheMillennialGardener]

You're welcome! I’m glad it was helpful.

[@darce4298]

I love you! 🤟 if you’re ever in Frederick MD … you have a place to stay. You have helped me get my In-Laws “ant hill” home ready for sale. We are moving them to MD. Where my dog and I can get moved into our new family home!! I’m going to keep you in my back pocket when I start my new garden at the new house!! So excited!!! Thank you!

[@jocelyn3388]

Fighting ants is a lifetime battle, and I've tried every means, including borax , ant baits, diatomaceous earth and even pyrethrin. They are always a nuisance in my garden and they seem to tell me that I have to live with them. But I haven't tried the sevin granules. Maybe I'll grab a bag and start spreading throughout the lawn and see how it works.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

What I've found in that areas that suffer badly from ants need a full-circle approach. One approach just isn't enough, but when you combine all these things: a defensive barrier, spot-treatment of the ants that slip through the defenses, and long-term cultural practices that make your soil unbuildable, you can defeat them over a few seasons.

[@carolforsythe6316]

I use to pour hot cooking oil and boiling water in fire ant hills after I had already dug up one and moved it to the very back corner of my yard and every day I would scoop up my BIG DOGS poo( each dog weighed about 100 lbs each-2 of them so a LOT of poo) and I would put it on top of the fire ant hill, by late afternoon all the poo was gone!!!! poetic justice! EAT CACA and fertilize my yard while getting rid of a problem never had a problem with them after that. boiling water is my favorite

[@barbarac4750]

I'd much rather have a fire ant problem than these imported Argentine ants that is the fire ants only predator. If you are near water, look it up to see the difference. The only thing I know will kill them is broadcasting "talstar". I do need to apply 4 times a year to keep them back. Queen season is a nightmare, they are large and shiny and easily seen on my blacktop drive. Going for mushroom compost for the garden tomorrow

[@shancan6328]

@@carolforsythe6316 I do this too with boiling water. Can't do it in the middle of the lawn or it kills the grass though. I use Orange Guard also and it is oily and coats them and the ones on the surface die. It also is hard on the grass so have to be careful. Previous owner used all kinds of stuff on the lawn. He left some stuff in the shed so I know he used a lot of junk. All toxic. I had horrible ants after the first year and I also had NO worms or things good for the soil. Finally fire ants are less of an issue. I have more of the normal harmless ants with their small mounds and I am happy I have worms after a few years and bluebirds and other birds are on the grass safely eating whatever they eat. No toxic stuff used.

[@shancan6328]

@@barbarac4750 Barbara look up Orange Guard and give it a try. Good luck.

[@survivormary1126]

My one concern with the chemicals would be that they may be taken up into the plants and kill beneficial insects, mainly the Bees. If you have nothing flowering in your lawn that means you use Round-up, that destroys out water supply, air, and land.

[@drheck]

just destroy all life around you for your convenience!

[@survivormary1126]

@drheck Exactly. It's beyond horrible when you drive around and see these Perfect lawns and golf courses where they have killed everything. To protect a structure from being eaten by ants you can simply use food grade diatomaceous earth. That's the most I ever do. I keep my land 100%organic.

[@justinecooper9575]

We're in the red clay Piedmont region of SC and have found that broadcasting Andro fire ant bait over the entire yard works best for us.

[@elyanecherico2484]

I gotta say thank you. Im going to try this all.

[@myopinion9518]

These appear to be really great ideas. Sadly, I will have to find something else. We gave a HUGE amount of pavers that make up our driveways and patios/ porches. And I have kitties. I love my kitties and my neighbors have kitties too. Plus we have wildlife in our yard frequently. Would not want to kill our deer, squirrels, birds, raccoons etc. even the coyotes. Any suggestions out there? We mostly have these pesky little sugar ants. I feed them poison when I see them pop up. But- yep they just keep coming back.

[@crystald3655]

Damascus earth is animal safe but deadly to most insects and snails. Dish soap can also help. They also seem to dislike ginger.

[@MyrtleBeachWebAngel]

I use Borax and sugar water in small dishes that are placed in suet feeders. Seems to work. Sometimes I put potted plants on top of the little cages so the water doesn't evaporate as quickly and there's no real chance an animal will paw at it or tip it over.

[@jimriley9697]

We must have different species of ants. Mine make colonies in every kind of soil I've got, from hard clay, to garden beds, to damn near rocks around the driveway. My nemesis.

[@TheMillennialGardener]

Examine the ant hills and look at the earth that comes out. See if it is sandy. You can have heavy soil with pockets of sand.

[@barbarac4750]

I bet you have Argentine ants too

[@rhondah1587]

I live in south Louisiana in the Mississippi delta where the soil here is highly organic, rich river silt everywhere. Fire ants are in pure heaven, and they don't build mounds like you have shown, they build six to 12 inch high hills that look like granules piled up. They also love love love to invade plants in pots and will not be detectable until you move the pot and then they will attack in the 10s of thousands. They love to build their nests around brick or concrete pavers and bed edging too. Because we get so much rain, they seek out places that they can build under to protect their nests from water damage. They will dig their nests under the foundation of a slab house, and under a large tree so their nest is protected by the tree's root system. The poison they are supposed to think is food no longer works as they don't touch it and just move over to another spot. Happy for you that you have found what works in your area, but it isn't a solution for everyone sadly.

[@bobchevallier8456]

Glad you let people know about the vicious terrorist fire ants in the South. Had the moving a potted plant is ue weeks ago. Moved it a few inches outside my door thousands exploded out.

[@braike]

Thanks very informative and educational. Loved it great stuff 😊