Ants -- yuck!!

[cgcw]

Last night I unearthed a ant nest. They built it right underneath the soil in our new raised garden bed. I went to put a new plant in the ground and low and behold, I got more than I bargained for! Not only were there ants but tons of eggs too. They scrambled to grab the eggs and get away. I scrambled for the bug spray. I sprayed them with a repellent good for carpenter ants and it didn't seem to bother them a bit. Then I sprayed them with raid and it did take care of the ones on the surface but I suspect their nest goes down deeper. And, the smell was enough to kill all of us. I don't really want to go back out and dig in that same spot -- but I don't want to give up and let the ants live there either.

I guess now I know why there has been dirt on the outside of the bricks -- that must be where the ants have been moving it while building their new home. Given a choice, I'd rather have them outside just not in the middle of my flowers. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I get rid of these??

Cindy

 

[olena]

Amdro! It comes in a grain form. It's advertised for fire ants, but it kills many types. The ants take the granules into the mound and it kills the queen. It's VERY effective.

Amdro

 

[cgcw]

Thanks, Heather. I'll make a trip to Home Depot tonight and try to find that. I've learned more about ants today than I care to know. Guess it could be worse, they could be inside the house!

 

[olena]

You're right! You could have fire ants in your house like I did this Spring. YIKES! I usually get a big bag of Amdro and put it in my lawn spreader. That really helps control ants all over the yard. The other way to use it is to treat mounds that you see. You don't always 'see' the mounds though. Lots of them burrow deep underground. But they take the Amdro to the queen and that's all she wrote.

Best of luck!

 

[Snowwark]

Yuck cgcw, what a nasty surprise, thank goodness they never made it inside! I hope the Amdro works for you, let us know.

You had fire ants INSIDE your house, Olena?

 

[olena]

I sure did! I never found a trail or an entrance point. They were in my dining room/office. NOT my kitchen or bathroom. I hadn't yet put out the Amdro. They're gone now.