Boiling water.

 

The only trouble with that is if you don't get the queen you don't get rid of the colony.

 

Anyone have any suggestions for killing ants in those pop up anthills in the yard?
Trying to avoid insecticides that kill the bees and possibly lizards in my yard ( I have a lot of both).

I'd consider trying some Terro Ant Baits. They are a bug killer, but they work by drawing ants to them with a bait, which workers take to the queen which kills the colony. They won't hurt bees or lizards, because the packaging stops the bees and lizards aren't interested.

 

One more fine use of Ice Cream of the South.....Grits. Sprinkle grits on top of the mound. Workers will take it to the queen, she eats it and it swells up inside her and kills her.

 

The only problem I can see with that is that some kinds of ants eat "grease" i.e. animal fats and won't touch grains.

 

Aardvarks get the job done.

 

Not always!

 

This stuff works VERY well. It is a fine silica sharp glass type sand which cuts their feet off when they walk on it. I have used it for years. Sometimes they show up 6 months later or next year but overall it works very well. CDN price.

Try dust it on carefully on a non windy day.

Diatomaceous earth is the ingredient.

 

This stuff works VERY well. It is a fine silica sharp glass type sand which cuts their feet off when they walk on it. I have used it for years. Sometimes they show up 6 months later or next year but overall it works very well. CDN price.

Try dust it on carefully on a non windy day.

Diatomaceous earth is the ingredient.

View attachment 847432

The trouble with that is it won't kill the queens, unless they happen to walk through it.

It also works great on fleas in your rugs! Put in a new vacuum bag, sprinkle some DE on the rug, wait a bit, then vacuum it all up. The DE cuts the fleas. The best part is further vacuuming with that same bag sucks up more fleas, which the DE in the bag kills too. Sadism at its finest . . . .

 

Anyone have any suggestions for killing ants in those pop up anthills in the yard?
Trying to avoid insecticides that kill the bees and possibly lizards in my yard ( I have a lot of both).

Is there a specific problem the ants are causing? If not, I'd just leave them alone.

 

Depending on the Ant.

Those danged Texas Fire Ants are painful little ba$tards.

ED

 

A Borax and sugar mix around their front door?
The workers don't know the difference, and take the sugar back to the queen, with a little Borax also.
The Borax then gets the queen, and the workers move on from there.

 

UN-[bleep]

It appears that "grease ants" aka "Thief ants" don't like sweets, but still like things like greasy foods better, though some say they "consume fruits and sugary soft drinks." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solenopsis_molesta

 

I'd start with Terro. I've had good luck but it might depend on the type of ant.

I've heard of people in hot areas putting down clear plastic over areas where ants are seen. The idea is the heat kills them. I'm kind of skeptical. It might cause ants to avoid the hotter ground in the first few inches of the soil, but I doubt it kills a significant number of ants. You'd see fewer ants, though, if they're avoiding the first few inches of soil under the plastic.

Outside, I've used the liquid that you put on a piece of cardboard. I put the piece of cardboard in a berry container (like the half-pint ones you buy raspberries & blackberries in), put a dime-size drop of terro on the cardboard, and then put the half-pint container in the area where I see ant, with something like a brick on the container (it doesn't usually smush the container). The ants can crawl in through the holes on the bottom of the container, and the container keeps bigger animals from getting into the Terro. That small amount of Terro wouldn't harm a bigger animal like a cat or dog, but I always like to play it safe, so I use the container.

 

Back when I ran the garden shop and people came in wanting "ant control" I tried to get them to take a mindful approach. First are the ants actually a problem in some way or do they just give you the willies? If they are a problem, the real key to getting rid of them to the extent possible, is to kill the queens. If you don't do that, you're spinning your wheels and throwing good money after bad.

FWIW, my yard is full of ant colonies, and most cause no problems. The ones that do are the ones where the "foraging columns" find cat food in the bowl and raid it (upsetting the cats a lot).

 

If you are dealing with fire ants use Amdro. It is a bait which you sprinkle on the mound. The ants see it as food and take it to feed the queen and she dies and the mound dies. I rate it at about 95% effective. As far as I can tell nothing else eats it.

 

I finally gave up on borax and sugar and went with Amdro bait. It worked great. Even took the leftover container to my daughter’s yard for the same results. I still have tons left over. I hope it will be OK for next year again without having to buy more.

 

A 12 amp, 250mph leaf blower helps keep anthills away.

 

Ain't 'natural', but works like a charm ...... and just takes a dab. 3 days mound dead, bait gone. ...... I only use on mounds ...... nothing else is interested in it.

Indoors: boric acid and sugar dissolved in water.

 

Anyone have any suggestions for killing ants in those pop up anthills in the yard?
Trying to avoid insecticides that kill the bees and possibly lizards in my yard ( I have a lot of both).

Boric acid is a natural compound. Use powder or inject liquid.

 

Anyone have any suggestions for killing ants in those pop up anthills in the yard?
Trying to avoid insecticides that kill the bees and possibly lizards in my yard ( I have a lot of both).

"Natural ant repellents include vinegar, essential oils like peppermint and lemon, and other household items like coffee grounds and citrus peels. These methods work by either masking the scent trails ants use to navigate or by directly repelling them with strong odors"

 

You haven't said what type of ants, where you live or what problem they cause. Please let us know. Makes a big difference in approach. Amdro is the only thing for fire ants in the south.

 

Totally agree on Terro. It has performed successfully whenever ants of all sizes have appeared. May take a 3-4 days for the cycle to be effective. I keep a fresh liquid bait pack on hand (and no, I don't have a financial interest in this company). Good luck .

 

I tried something similar to this and it worked like a charm.

 

That’s great for mounds out in the open yard. My situation was all the mounds were hidden away under rocks or concrete statues.

 

I use Diatotomous Earth: usually non- food grade. It seems to work well on most insects.

 

If you're a little more adventurous, search for 'ant hill sculpture.' The hot metal will surely kill the ants, and the sculpture - maybe you can sell on Ebay or Etsy.

 

Yeah, people will buy anything if you call it ART.

A few years ago, I knew a woman that took 3-4 feet wide Tumbleweeds spray painted them gold.

And sold them on E-bay. As art.

ED

 

Chickens.