I've had limited success with grits. It doesn't kill them entirely, but it slows them down for a while, and after a couple applications they move somewhere else, usually. My understanding is that they like to eat it, but it expands in their gut and kills them.
I've also had success slowing them down by destroying as much of their nest as possible with the hose set on high pressure jet. Not practical if they're in the middle of the garden, but it works in the lawn or around the stones in the yard where they love to build. This also has to be done several times to have much effect, but my four-year-old loves to do it, so it's not much work for me, lol. He also loves to apply grits.
Personally, it's not about absolute control--the ants actually do a rather nice job aerating and fertilizing the soil, and killing weeds. It's about slowing them down enough that we're not stepping in them every time we turn around.
I accidentally set fire to the yard one time...honest it was just a little grass fire, woulda stomped it out myself but the wind picked up. Afterwards the lawn came back greener than before...and there were noticeably less fireant mounds than before for the next couple years. Wouldn't recommend that as the best deterrent in the world...
(LOL, didn't know the number for the local fire dept offhand, but Mom's best friend was married to one of the firemen, so I called her...Mom was there and rode in with him. The roads weren't marked so she stayed at the one intersection where they might take a wrong turn to direct them. Swung up on the back of the truck as it made the turn and arrived in style! Only my Mom...)
__________________________ {=^;^=} Living the good life amid the wildlife.
Posts: 762 | Location: Out in the sticks in Zone 6/Southwestern KY | Registered: November 27, 2004
For good, solid information on dealing with Fire Ants check with Texas A & M. They have the best information ans seem to be about the only people looking into control. Most of what I see on the USDA websites is from TAMU and every else in the country has some really bad information, copied mostly from sites that copied TAMU andgot it wrong somehow.
