Ant Slaying... in Mexico

GA to you CUTiger. I too have battled ants. Boric acid works best and sometimes just a few strategically placed drops is all that is required. Ants follow marked trails to the food or sugar sources. They will collect the laced bait, take it back to their nests, and feed it to the queen ant. She dies and the ants bugger off. Here is a recipe I found on the internet; but, really drops work very well and no recipe is required. I find I must repeat the process every couple of weeks but maybe more frequent requirements in Cozumel. Don't place the drops where pets can access it.

Have you tried the ant food dispensaries? They are supposed to take the food back to the nest and feed it to the queen killing her, and the rest of the nest with her.

link.

The thing I like about this method is that you and the environment are not exposed to any toxins. The poison is in solid form, and is carried back to the nest by the worker/hunter ants.

I wonder if the birds will sneeze?

I'll let you know...

no sneezing so far... I 'peppered my eggs' yesterday afternoon, the duck acted a bit like she had a burr in her butt for half an hour or so, but that's about the same thing she was doing with the ants. The ants, however, seem to be missing. Right after I peppered, the anoles started coming down, the pepper didn't seem to bother them at all, which makes me happy as I watch them eat ants pretty regularly.

I mixed a little dry borax with some sugar yesterday and sprinkled it near the inside ant trails. they went crazy for it and seem to be missing as well...

Hope springs eternal, but the doubter in me is still on the look out.

More as the results pan out...

I, too, have discovered the efficacy of fresh-ground black pepper in controlling ants. It apparently is not really a "poison", per se, but they find it so irritating they will seek other dining venues. Besides, I am not sure it is such a good idea to poison the little buggers...Never know what impact that will have up the food chain.

My own experience with boric acid is that, while great for controlling cockroaches, fleas, bedbugs and such, it seems to have no effect whatsoever on ants.

Boric acid is also harmless for pets. About the only thing I ever found that could control a flea infestation.

Which of the 12000 species would fall for that trick?

You only have the choice of 3000 peppers to find out.

When you have fire ants go all the way, nuke'em!

Most of the time they are good for something, or should that be all of the time? They are there for a reason. Are we?

As always Ky, I find your response humorous and insightful.

I concur where fire ants are concerned and have thrown just about everything I have in my arsenal at the ants here that act like them... though I don't believe they are fire ants, having been stung by fire ants and by these little buggers I can say these are far less painful and do not raise a boil as fire ant stings do. They do however go into a frenzy of rage at the slightest disturbance and I can not have our guests being assaulted in that fashion so they are being treated as the aggressors they have shown themselves to be.

Actually it was a fire ant infestation. I would have just left them alone too but I couldn't get to a single tomato without being eaten alive. The mound was about 4 feet in diameter. I used regular black pepper. Now it's WJMFIRE 1, FIREANTS 0.

WJMFIRE- you say "regular black pepper". Does that mean pre-ground, or are you grinding it fresh? I have always used fresh-ground, but that is because that is usually the only black pepper I have on hand...

Oh for the ants I buy the cheap 1 dollar pre-ground schtuff from the dollar store. Use the grinder variety for your steaks! Try it...you can thank me later.

I've been debating the bait poisons, the owners have used them with limited effect.

The colony in the bird cage has, I believe, expanded outside the enclosure in response to my angry god technique (major flooding but no warnings to Noah) where I assaulted them with Amdro yesterday. The area where I put down the Amdro has died back considerably, but they popped up in force 5' away this morning, so I applied a heaping helping of Ortho ant powder, which seems to be working, though I expect they'll pop up somewhere nearby again. and I still have the issue of the abundant supply of 'feed' in the bird enclosure because the birds make a huge mess of conveniently opened seeds etc...

The list of birds is short, lots of parakeets and a duck. All of which eat on the ground (even though the seed dishes are up in the air), so any toxic substance I put down is a concern, especially since duck eggs make really nice french toast...

Hey it would help if we knew what type of ants!

There is mix of borax hand soap about 10% with sugar if they are ants that will take it as bait. The soap works on just ants for other insects may need Boric acid

Most studies but there are not many show low toxicity to birds.

http://www.fs.fed.us/foresthealth/pesticide/pdfs/022406_borax.pdf

To most animal they have to eat it. If it's not in their food or put in something they will eat should be no problem.

Hey Ozz, I've spotted at least 6 different species of ant on the property, these include leaf cutters, carpenter, and 4 I don't know as I'm not an 'ant-ymologist'.

the carpenter ants are pretty easy to deal with, they tend to announce there location with a pile of sawdust and I attack them directly.

The leaf cutters hopefully didn't survive the assault I made on them during their mating explosion after the first big rain a week or so ago because the owners claim to have spent 5 - 7 years trying to eradicate them from the property.

of the remaining 4, 3 are not really a nuisance until they get in the house and the 3rd act like fire ants (hyper aggressive to the slightest disturbance near their colony) but their sting does not form a boil like fire ant stings do.

I think there are more than 6, but I don't spend that much time studying them for details beyond average size and coloration, which I only observe in passing.

I will be trying your borax blend in the house, and will let you know if they "take the bait".

Thanks

We've had decent success with fire ants by pouring a pot of boiling water on the mound. I don't know if it kills them or just makes 'em so angry they go bother someone else, but it works fairly well and is dirt cheap. Sometimes it takes a couple of applications for them to get the message.

Spooky

The Ortho product with acephate as the active ingredient seems to work well on fire ants.

Good Story.

John

Nice read

I should give you 2 GA's.

One for the steam and one for the story. Steam is what the professionals use here. You have to find them (fire ants) early and have no mercy whatsoever. One thing is for sure they will outlive the whole lot of us, in the end.

ky -

Have you got them on Magnetic?

Yet?

No and that will stay that way. They would have a fair swim ahead and building rafts from leaves is not going to help.

I better check the south gate, were is my bloody horse?

My eyes, my eyes..........arghhhhhhhh.....

Good story I enjoyed it.

David

http://www.qt.com.au/story/2011/06/23/fire-ants-hit-18-ipswich-neighbourhoods/

They seem to be listening. Here we go again!

If you are concerned about the birds eating the pesticide, just put it under a large brick that is elevated a few mm (say 1/8th inch) off the ground.

Borax is natural, should not be a prob for your water IMHO. Others I don't know.

Good luck.

Being from the tropics. with no poisins to work with--First--With all ant trails, cover liberally with baking powder, or another fine powder--Ants cannot cross dry powders without clogging up the way they respire -Boric acid is a proven treatment, both for ants, and cockroaches- Another method is with cayenne peppers, or local peppers, ground up, mixed with a bit of oil and water and liberally used around structures..-Fire ants and extremely nasty infestations are done with what we call the Terminator treatment--Propane gas weed burning type torches--Follow the trail with the torch, and "Heat treat the ground"--Totally removes the chemicals they use to re trace their paths, and disorients them--Find a nest--Even better--Sounds drastic, but non-toxic, and a lot of fun, if you find a nest--I love all creatures, just not in my house, food , water or home..They all serve a purpose--Sounds like the location wasn't scouted well...

Ambro fire ant bait will the gueen and destroy the mound.

You can get it at HomeDepot, not sure how to get it down there.

Good luck, Maximo

I presume your critters are not sand fleas or flying ants.

El Fuerte, Mx, has one of the two I'm thinking. They're not mosquitos, but their sting is 100 times that of a mosquito. No matter how hot it is, you should always wear long pants.

been warned about the sand fleas, but they are mostly at the beaches at night... no night swims at the beach

We had two rounds of fling ants, but both were 'breeders' who loose their wings after mating (well, the males sort of just die. the females drop their wings and live off the muscle that powered them while they start a new colony) we were sweeping up ant wings for days. Hopefully none of these aspiring queens made it past the toxins, anoles and geckos... fingers crossed

Terro is a boric acid based ant bait. It is a liquid that is squeezed out of the bottle onto the pieces of cardboard that come with it. It is very effective.

You can't just treat the ants one time and expect them not to return. Once a colony is dead, a new colony will move in. With using Terro, this usually takes a month or so. I keep putting Terro down to ensure the ants don't return.

Terro has been he only product, for that purpose, tat has EVER worked for us--2 thumbs up , again , for Terro--

Responses are between deterrent and extermination. I'll add one to the deterrent side: coffee grounds; I think non-brewed. I tried this a few times on fire ants and it does seem to be something they do not like, similar to the black pepper suggestion. I never really researched it much, but you might try it.

Hi, I lived in Cancun, and ant infestation in the Yucatan Peninsula is a never ending story. The warm and humid weather and the abundance of food, makes it a paradise for insects.

We used an ant food that contained a killer substance, they take it to the queen, and the colony dies, but other colony takes the empty nest. You can buy it in a "Ferreteria". If my memory do not fail me is called "cebo para hormigas"

What ever you do you must do it constantly.

Diatomaceous earth is known as "diatomita", in Mexico is used mainly in the filtration and paint industry, I´m not sure if you can get it in Cozumel.

Thank you for the translation! My previous experience with diatomaceous earth was for pool filtration, there is a pool supply store in town so I will check there.

I have been using Ortho Mata Hormigas where circumstances both require and allow, seems to be pretty effective, but as it contains diazinon I'm trying not to use it except as a last resort.

The ant battle in the Yucatan is definitely an ongoing war of attrition that will never be won by man except at the cost of an ecosystem. I'd just as soon not be a part of that...

I am currently working with borax (had some here already) to make bait. Seems to be fairly target-able, I can keep it away form the birds and as far as I can tell in the quantities I am using poses only a minimal threat to the smallest animals on the property... it can't be worse than the other poisons that have been used on this property for years...

Just a note about using Boric Acid or Borax any place where other animals (or people) may come in contact with it. Many Borate compounds are now considered to be Substances of Very High Concern in the European Union. Boric acid and Borax are considered Reproductive Toxins. Some studies have shown that male mamals fed a diet high in borates (but not acutely toxic) tend to show testicular atrophy. Female mamals may show increased fetal damage. I did not do these studies so I cannot speak to how acurate the data is, but it is good enough that ECHA (the EU version of the EPA) is restricting borates and requiring tough labeling and registration rules.

If they are correct about the Borates, you may want to be careful about exposing animals you want to use as breeding stock. The studies on dogs showed that levels fed that were high, but not toxic had effects on the testies in about 6 weeks.

thank you for the heads up, I will be sure to be targeted and not overly liberal with my application, and thanks CW for your 'personal experience'

Looking at the Birth Rates, in Europe, you may be on to something there...

After spending a small fortune at the local store on various preparations to kill the
ants, I found that a surround of small sharp gravel will prevent their access.

You may think I'm joking, but they have not been able to return now for 2 years.
I think small gravel is "difficult terrain" for them, minimum gaps, with precarious roof!

I used a small channel of approx. 12 inch wide and 4 inch deep with 1/4 inch sharp
gravel. This worked perfectly. A smaller one e.g. 6 inch wide may have done the job,
but I want to play safe with extra width. Alternatively, if you know the mound, you
can materially corral them in. (unless they are flying ants.)

I made a garden "feature" of the gravel "channel." It worked the best, without any
further expense on chemicals or treatments. Hope this helps.

jt.

I understand they have just started to show the Flintstones TV show
every week in the Middle East. Reports coming back state that:

The people in Dubai do not like the programme,

The people in Oman do not like the programme

but those in Abu Dhabi Do!

Hi,

When I lived with my dad we had a mound of fire ants about 20 feet from the back door. The white ant powder slowed them down, but never eradicated them. One summer I got a shovel and made a funnel shaped opening at the top of the mound. I poured in a gallon of gasoline (which was less expensive than a can of the white ant powder), and threw in a match. The fire burned for about 4 hours and then the mound exploded. There was a hole about 6 feet in diameter and about 3 feet deep in the middle. There were never ants there again.

-S

The same thing works without the match. Diesel works too. As will sump oil. Especially if you throw a bit of dirt over the main entrances to keep the vapors in.

My wife (at that time) was a keen gardener and highly allergic to ant bites, and seemingly a magnet for any grumpy ant with a 100 m radius, often resulting in full anaphylactic drama, ice packs, epipens, sometimes ambulances.

After doing diesel outdoors and caster sugar + borax, close to the house and inside initially, the drama dropped to zero. I.e. I can assure you both are quite effective.

But; a high water table and potable, is something I didn't have to factor in.

I have tried many comercial products with out any success but as mentioned in other posts I have always had great sucess with borax powder & iceing sugar (because it is fine & mixes well) mixed 50/50 the ants love the sugar & pick up the borax with the sugar & the nest is gone within days.

Some of my friends haven't figured out yet why I praise CR4 so highly... mostly I think because none of them have ever actually come on with a serious question.

Once again I extend my deepest gratitude to the multitude on CR4 for your sagacious advice and stress reducing humorous anecdotes.

The Borax and sugar remedy seems to be having an impact, and if that fails I will try the peanut butter borax blend, followed by a trip to the pool supply store.

The black pepper seemed to move the ants out of the bird enclosure, but they are still foraging in there, I don't mind that so much, but when I get attacked trying to feed the birds I get grumpy. The duck certainly seems less irritated as well.

For my next assault in the bird enclosure I will try the coffee method, but it will have to wait for the torrential downpours we are experiencing (and expecting for the next few days) to pass.

For you pyromaniacs out there... if it was my property I would certainly be considering this approach in places, I like things that go 'whoosh-BOOM' as much as the next guy... but since I'm 'care-taking' I think I'll not let my let little pyrotechnician out of the closet.

I will post again after I have made a determination on the efficaciousness of coffee vs ants.

I think that the DE (diatomaceous earth) from pool stores has been treated, and is not suitable for getting rid of pests. What you need is the raw stuff - Google may be your friend.

Bear in mind the borax takes time. First they have to take it to/feed, the Queen, then it takes time for her to die, then it takes time for them to starve (as she feeds them). And it may take more time if a new queen is hatched meanwhile. With the exception of the pyre approach, none of these are 'instant'. And advantage of the diesel/sump oil approach is the nests seem to remain unsuitable for new colonization for a very long time.

Chickens. They'll eat anything.

and poop on everything...

I have a problem with small black sugar ants an bought a bag of tobacco dust and dump a handful on the entrance to the nest. and sprinkle some on their trail.

It does not kill them or pets but they abort that entrance and get confused on the trail.

As soon as they open a new entrance another handful must be placed.

Rainy weather is a problem.

I also make traps in fill it with a 1 to 3 mixture of borax and caramel sugar dissolved in water to form a syrup. They just love it and if you place a drop of this syrup on trail they visit the drop like a bar.

Eat them. That's what I do. No poison required. I only eat the dumb ones. The smart ones move to a neighboring property.

No, don't eat them - you'll get Antacid!

I just remember a deterrent my great aunt used on the farm. Guinea Fowl!

90% of their diet is insects. They can also provide a meal there eggs if you can find where they stashed them. And there as big as a chicken have eaten them but been so long can't remember. Most likely taste how they say just like chicken. They are starting to uses them here in the east to control ticks. They seem to love they little buggers.

That's how my great aunt controlled garden pest. If the flock is large enough they will also take on snakes and rodents.

If I were interested in investing my money in their property I would call that a great idea... but since the only 'profit' I would make out of it is getting to clean up after guinea fowl in a slightly less ant filled world I'm gonna pass... Good answer nonetheless!

I've heard ants don't like cinnamon. Folks will put a ring of it around a pet's food bowl to keep the ants away. I guess the pets ignore the cinnamon.

Hello all, I'm having excellent results with a borax/sugar solution (1 part borax powder to about 8 parts sugar, dissolved in water to a thin syrup). But now I need species specific info... to that end I'm starting a new thread... HELP Leaf Cutter Ants...

If you have any advice that might be more specific to leaf cutters please stop by and let me know... current plan is to spray down the current 'buffet area' with a thinner borax solution (more water to help dispersal as they are in the trees). need to stop them ASAP before they get totally entrenched.