Finding a Simple Means of Creating Formic Acid

Squashing those nasty fire ants is a way....

http://www.ask.com/questions-about/Make-Formic-Acid

"When methanol and carbon monoxide are combined in the presence of a strong base, the formic acid derivative methyl formate results, according to the chemical equation:

CH₃OH + CO → HCO₂CH₃

In industry, this reaction is performed in the liquid phase at elevated pressure. Typical reaction conditions are 80 °C and 40 atm. The most widely-used base is sodium methoxide. Hydrolysis of the methyl formate produces formic acid:

HCO₂CH₃ + H₂O → HCO₂H + CH₃OH "

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formic_acid#Production

I wouldn't call those "simple ways." The standard way to prepare formic acid in the lab. is by the oxidation of methanol by an excess of strong sulphuric acid and potassium dichromate (a powerful oxidizing mixture), at room temperature and pressure.

1) CH₃OH + 'O' → HCHO + H20 then 2) HCHO + 'O' → HCOOH

methanol → formaldehyde → formic acid

Formic acid boils at about 100C, so can be distilled off with the water present to give aqueous formic acid. You would need to look up whether it forms azeotropes with water (I'm sure it does), which could be to your benefit or detriment in terms of the concentration obtained by distillation.

I have some tweezers. Wonder what the yield of a thousand lbs. would be(?). Better get started.

Annoy an ants' nest?

Get them before they get you...