Ants. A discussion on how to freakin' obliterate them for good.
Options
treitz3
Posts: 18,426
Long story short? I have a very nice yard. Not much in terms of the rich folk but it is mine. It's about 1.3 acres.
I like to do things self when it comes to lawncare/landscaping and I have (IMO) done a very fine job.
My property would never pass DJTbor the Builtmore Estates because of my back but I feel as if I have done a good job.
That said...
Apparently, the lawn is so healthy that word has gotten out within the past few miles to come on over to my place (Ants, that is) and squat.
This used to be a non-issue. I would put down Triazicide and no worries. I would have about 3 or 4 anthill, usually where I didn't treat an area.
Now, it seems as if the community as a whole has come to congregate on my lawn. You can't really see it because of my lawn condition but trust me.....I can't pass 5 feet without hitting an ant hill.
WTF?
For those that are a DIY kind of lawn folk and have a great lawn? What do you do?
The greatest threat to my lawn is ants.
Talk to me.
Tom
I like to do things self when it comes to lawncare/landscaping and I have (IMO) done a very fine job.
My property would never pass DJTbor the Builtmore Estates because of my back but I feel as if I have done a good job.
That said...
Apparently, the lawn is so healthy that word has gotten out within the past few miles to come on over to my place (Ants, that is) and squat.
This used to be a non-issue. I would put down Triazicide and no worries. I would have about 3 or 4 anthill, usually where I didn't treat an area.
Now, it seems as if the community as a whole has come to congregate on my lawn. You can't really see it because of my lawn condition but trust me.....I can't pass 5 feet without hitting an ant hill.
WTF?
For those that are a DIY kind of lawn folk and have a great lawn? What do you do?
The greatest threat to my lawn is ants.
Talk to me.
Tom
~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~
Comments
-
If you look closely? You can see the ant hill on the firepit. I have sprayed, weedwhacked, place a fire on it and even used Roundup and oil. NoThInG seems to work to get rid of the bastages....
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
First off quit mowing in straight lines. Straight lines gives the ants a sense of direction. When you mow with curvy lines, it confuses the ants, and they will leave.2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC
erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a -
Ron, I will just come right on out and say it sir.
You are a freakin' GOOFBALL.
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
Ron, I will just come right on out and say it sir.
You are a freakin' GOOFBALL.
Tom
2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC
erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a -
I agree with Ron, your yard is far to easy to navigate- Not Tom ::::::: Any system can play Diana Krall. Only the best can play Limp Bizkit.
-
Tip #2:The number one food that attracts ants is sugar. Unfortunately, sugar is found in most foods and beverages. They love to feast on drinks that contain high fructose corn syrup and other sweet-smelling foods. Food crumbs and spills are especially productive for the ants' well-being.
So get a few bags of sugar and start pouring it on your neighbors lawn.
My buddy who owned a past control company always said. "We don't kill pests, we just relocate them"2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC
erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a -
First ants are beneficial to a healthy lawn by eating .....stuff that eats your lawn, grubs and such.
Second to get rid of them you need to know what they eat like sweets, fats, fungus, grains or the best one TERMITES.....
In most all cases you'll need to kill the queen to eradicate the colony. Sweet ants are the easiest to kill. Sweet water with boric acid and wala they drag it back to feed the queen and die she will. -
The two bad varieties. Fire and Pharaoh.
My neighbors in Texas never treated for fire ants.
So they would always spill over to my yard. No death
is too harsh for them. Good news is modern treatments
make quick work of them. Pharaoh ants were really
hard to deal with. They would trek across the yard and
find a way into my kitchen. The pro's were useless at
dealing with them. Normal poisons would just cause
The colony to split and you soon had twice as many.
Believe it or not I found the fix at the grocery store.
Terro ant bait. It would take about a week and I was
Good for a year or two.
You'll have to ID the ones you have or you'll never
be rid of them. Each variety has a different solution."The legitimate powers of government extend to such acts only as are injurious to others. But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg." --Thomas Jefferson -
Chit.
I have big ones, little ones, minute ones and fire ants. I even have the famous velvet ant.
The little F'rs get into the monkey grass, flowers, gardens and as soon as I lay down fresh and beautiful black mulch? The next day, the F'rs have a mound a half a foot tall.
I feel like I'm in that movie, "Caddyshack".....only with ants.
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
Im not an entomolgist, but we have a species of ant that I've tamped down to almost extinction. A few years ago I noticed that after it rains, they build their mounds and bring their eggs/Queens to surface. I go around and apply heavy pressure in the form of a large spade shovel and smack them out of existence. Really has thinned them down.Don't take experimental gene therapies from known eugenicists.
-
Have you looked into "diatomaceous earth"?
-
Hey Tom.
Been awhile. Are you selectively just wanting to rid of ants? I am into the outdoor life while also making it comfortable in my own yard.
I do not use any big box store products. I use Talstar P and Cysmic CS. Talstar could be sprayed or you could get the granular form. It lasts on average 2 months depending on amount of rain you get. You do not use these products around your gardens where you would harvest and eat from. It is equivalent to a nuclear bomb for insects in general, will not harm pollenators. You will also be free of widows and mosquitoes.
As for your lawn. Throw down some Tide Paclo 2SC. Look into it and thank me later. This is a whole nother topic. Give me a call or video chat, we could throw down some beers and I could show you what was done. Tifway 419 Bermuda over seeded with Arden 15 (previously known as princess) cut under 1 inch by my trusted robotic mower since 2017.
I would say. I guarantee you will want to walk bare foot and roll in it.
Cheers man. -
Ever seen what happens when a few chickens come across an ant hill? Perhaps get a few laying hens and let them loose during the day? My neighbor does this and the hens come into my yard and do a great job of ridding it of bugs which in turn are food for ground moles. We used to have an infestation of ground moles but I haven't seen a tunnel ever since the chickens arrived.
-
Jay
SDA 2BTL * Musical Fidelity A5cr amp * Oppo BDP-93 * Modded Adcom GDA-600 DAC * Rythmik F8 (x2)
Micro Seiki DQ-50 * Hagerman Cornet 2 Phono * A hodgepodge of cabling * Belkin PF60
Preamp rotation: Krell KSL (SCompRacer recapped) * Manley Shrimp * PS Audio 5.0 -
First ants are beneficial to a healthy lawn by eating .....stuff that eats your lawn, grubs and such.
Second to get rid of them you need to know what they eat like sweets, fats, fungus, grains or the best one TERMITES.....
In most all cases you'll need to kill the queen to eradicate the colony. Sweet ants are the easiest to kill. Sweet water with boric acid and wala they drag it back to feed the queen and die she will.
Advice from Master Yoda.
-
Spray "Bengal" bug spray around the mound and then into the main hole/s.
Works here in S.E. NC.Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them. -
Pick up a box of 20 mule team borax and sprinkle it around the perimeter and in the opening of their mounds.Gustard X26 Pro DAC
Belles 21A Pre modded with Mundorf Supreme caps
B&K M200 Sonata monoblocks refreshed and upgraded
Polk SDA 1C's modded / 1000Va Dreadnaught
Wireworld Silver Eclipse IC's and speaker cables
Harman Kardon T65C w/Grado Gold. (Don't laugh. It sounds great!)
There is about a 5% genetic difference between apes and men …but that difference is the difference between throwing your own poo when you are annoyed …and Einstein, Shakespeare and Miss January. by Dr. Sardonicus -
Pick up a box of 20 mule team borax and sprinkle it around the perimeter and in the opening of their mounds.
Can any borax work? We had stone work done in the front 2 years ago and I'm starting to notice lots of sand around the base. We have one stone that has sunk a bit, the contractor said it was ants. -
-
LOL...yeah, I'll get right on that....
Tom~ In search of accurate reproduction of music. Real sound is my reference and while perfection may not be attainable? If I chase it, I might just catch excellence. ~ -
Call old Bill, he was the best greens keeper ever!!
2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC
erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a -
Pick up a box of 20 mule team borax and sprinkle it around the perimeter and in the opening of their mounds.
Can any borax work? We had stone work done in the front 2 years ago and I'm starting to notice lots of sand around the base. We have one stone that has sunk a bit, the contractor said it was ants.
I don't see why not.Gustard X26 Pro DAC
Belles 21A Pre modded with Mundorf Supreme caps
B&K M200 Sonata monoblocks refreshed and upgraded
Polk SDA 1C's modded / 1000Va Dreadnaught
Wireworld Silver Eclipse IC's and speaker cables
Harman Kardon T65C w/Grado Gold. (Don't laugh. It sounds great!)
There is about a 5% genetic difference between apes and men …but that difference is the difference between throwing your own poo when you are annoyed …and Einstein, Shakespeare and Miss January. by Dr. Sardonicus -
Boric acid is "probably" better than borax (which is sodium tetraborate).
Not that borax won't work -- but gram for gram it's less potent.
A little story about boric acid, if I might. When we lived in the Silicon Valley, ants (just the little black ant kind) were a big problem in the hyper-dry summer months. They'd come inside in droves in search of moisture. We had this problem at work, too... they came to the lab all the way to, and into, our big upright lab freezer. My boss and I, being clever (in our own minds, at any rate) biochemists, came up with a plan. Boric acid is toxic to ants (well... not just ants, but it's a common ant bait/poison). Ants are also very attracted to sugar. I made an admixture of boric acid and glucose and used it as bait. Killed zillions of little ants with it, we did.
-
mhardy6647 wrote: »Boric acid is "probably" better than borax (which is sodium tetraborate).
Not that borax won't work -- but gram for gram it's less potent.
A little story about boric acid, if I might. When we lived in the Silicon Valley, ants (just the little black ant kind) were a big problem in the hyper-dry summer months. They'd come inside in droves in search of moisture. We had this problem at work, too... they came to the lab all the way to, and into, our big upright lab freezer. My boss and I, being clever (in our own minds, at any rate) biochemists, came up with a plan. Boric acid is toxic to ants (well... not just ants, but it's a common ant bait/poison). Ants are also very attracted to sugar. I made an admixture of boric acid and glucose and used it as bait. Killed zillions of little ants with it, we did.
https://youtu.be/O52jAYa4Pm8 -
Boric acid(the real stuff) is also a very good cockroach killer as well.
-
A while back this topic was discussed in the following thread:
https://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/191921/any-tips-for-fighting-an-ant-infestation
My research still holds true and, 3 years later, I'm ant free around the area I commented on....I battled ants under a garage slab, to the point of cracking, for 20 years and finally decided to educate and attack based on this. I was successful.
I have 2 longish emails with very detailed info I collected and shared with my family. I took this on as a personal challenge and decided to save my family the uneducated fate. ID'ing the ants and understanding the 2 cycles, sweet and protein, is key to how you attack a colony. Do the wrong thing and they split to survive. End result is more nests.
Tried to copy/paste into this post but format won't work. See attached...PDF.Definitely not an expert and in no way trying to counter other's experience. My biggest takeaway from researching was spraying and causing mass panic/death triggers the fight or flight instinct and flight is their choice. The workers are programmed to protect the colony and they do this by immediately splitting and creating more nests. I concluded the reason I, and everyone else I know, have recurring outbreaks is because of the first attack sprays.
I was fortunate because I had open ground to watch the exits and using the workers to bring the bait back was like a Trojan Horse. As the nest started to die they would pile thousands of bodies in little ant graveyards several inches away from the exit. I had pictures but can't find them.
Also, it really is crucial to confirm if they're in protein or sweet cycles. My sneak attack was in April, after they'd remained subterranean during winter, so my educated guess was they'd be looking for sweet, ie. quick energy, as the colony woke. My fallback would've been protein later in the summer assuming they're in build mode.
Just my experience but I added the above to explain my thought process.
Also, will add, I live on a corner (intersection of 2 streets), and I still have ants on my property....but, they've been pushed to the outer edges and they've lived happily away from where I want them to since 2020. The PDF I referenced in my quotes above is re-posted, below.➀Speakers: Polk1.2tl's (Uber Mods) ➁Pre/Amp/DAC: PS Audio BHK Signature & 250, DirectStream ➂Cables/IC's: MIT S1Bi-Wire/S1 Balanced +Avel Lindberg 1000VA "Dreadnought" ➃Power Conditioner: PS Audio P15 Power Plant ➄Power Cords: Core Power Technologies Gold, DH Labs Power Plus DIY w/Neotech NC-P301 & P311ends ➅Streaming: Roon ROCK on wifi'd NUC, TP-Link WAP, & Uptone EtherREGEN, AfterDark, Emperor Double Crown Clock, Black Modernize LPS, PS Audio AirLens⟿Ω☯☥☮⟿🔊♩♪♫♬♩♪♫♬♩♪♫♬ -
OK a related question....how do I rid a tree of ants?? I suspect they are going to town on one of my favorite trees in the backyard every night. There must be a solution...
-
Tanglefoot Tree Insect Barrier2-channel: Modwright KWI-200 Integrated, Dynaudio C1-II Signatures
Desktop rig: LSi7, Polk 110sub, Dayens Ampino amp, W4S DAC/pre, Sonos, JRiver
Gear on standby: Melody 101 tube pre, Unison Research Simply Italy Integrated
Gone to new homes: (Matt Polk's)Threshold Stasis SA12e monoblocks, Pass XA30.5 amp, Usher MD2 speakers, Dynaudio C4 platinum speakers, Modwright LS100 (voltz), Simaudio 780D DAC
erat interfectorem cesar et **** dictatorem dicere a -
OK a related question....how do I rid a tree of ants?? I suspect they are going to town on one of my favorite trees in the backyard every night. There must be a solution...
Pfft! Cut down the tree....😉 -
txcoastal1 wrote: »Tanglefoot Tree Insect Barrier
Man this looks like the ticket. I was trying to avoid chemicals on the ground due our puppy likes to venture through the woods.
https://youtu.be/IGJ2jMZ-gaI
