It’s time to map our your fire ant prevention plan. Fire ants infest most of the southeastern United States and are right at home here in North Texas. They came from South America sometime in the 1930s and made themselves right at home. If you are new to the area it takes only seconds to be introduced to them. After that, they are close to the most hated critter on the planet. There are tons of home remedies to fight fire ants but try to stick to the ones that have some science behind them. Remember that this is a process, not an event.
At Wells Brothers, we have many fire ant prevention options. Tools to kill fire ants include baits and contact killers that are both synthetic and all-natural. Also included is a biological called beneficial nematodes. We carry a product called Knock Out Nematodes. I have used most of them and found baits like “Come n Get It”, “Over N Out” and “Amdro” to be very effective. Please read and follow the label directions. I would add that if you disturb the mound with a tool (not your foot, hand, elbow, etc.) before the application you will get a better kill. Contact killers such as Surrender (Acephate, the white stinky powder), Diatomaceous earth, Boric acid, and orange oil work better after the mound has been disturbed. I have found beneficial nematodes to be a better preventative than curative. But it is a lot of fun to tell friends that you have millions of microscopic worms that parasitize and kill insects in the refrigerator.
It’s not uncommon for fire ants to make a nest in the outside breaker box for an A/C unit. Preventing this condition is way cheaper than curing it. This is where insecticidal ear tags for cattle come in. Place one in the breaker box and it will last the season.
It’s about this time when folks ask “what about dried molasses?” Well, there is a bunch of information on the web about dried molasses killing and or displacing ants, including fire ants. Look at the research carefully and make an informed decision.
The whales, baby seals, owls, and almost every other living thing has its own support group. I, however, do not belong to any of these groups. As of late, this has started to trouble me. My thought is to start a support group for the fire ant. Before you start gathering the tar and feathers, I invite you to take a look at the link.
We are at the beginning of Spring fertilizer season and it’s time to prepare. The question we ask when it comes to fertilizer is the size of the lawn. The most common answer is average. We are actually looking for the number of square feet of grass. It doesn’t have to be to the foot but since the average is 1,000 to 7,000 any number is better than average.
