while turning the compost pile over today i noticed a rather large bed of fire ants inside the pile. i know this is not uncommon, especially in the south, but i would like to know a natural way to get rid of them. i don't want to put ant poison in the pile. what are some options for me here? thanks in advance!
Boiling water poured on the ant hill. Not the easiest thing to do since the compost pile is probably not all that close to the kitchen! Also,if the compost pile is kept moist, the ants won't like it as much. I haven't had a probem with this yet, but turning the compost fairly frequently may have something to do with the lack of fire ants. Heaven knows we have them everywhere else!
Texas A&M developed an organic method of fire ant control called the Texas Two Step. A two step method over a period of time. There are members from Texas that may be more familiar with the process and may have used it. The northern latitudes are safe for now from the critters. Jerry
Jerry... Do tell more about that fire-ant "cure"! Or... I guess I could just search for it myself, huh?
how about diamataceous? earth...it is supposed to be a non-toxic deal that cuts the bugs to ribbons. sounds like a good deal!
Cheryl, a TAMU site for fire ants: http://fireant.tamu.edu/management/twostep.cfm There is more, searching is half the fun. I normally poke around TAMU for archeology research into underwater exploration of shipwrecks off the Turkish shore in the Mediterranean. Jerry
Jerry... thanks for the link. It basically instructs us to keep on doing what we've been doing with those nasty little buggers. Treat each and every mound on a regular basis... all at the same time. Otherwise, the little varmints just keep moving from place to place. I'd like to meet the person who introduced these monsters to the US and let them have a go at him/her! :twisted:
compost pile pics completed my compost bin today! added a third bay to it. i took the advice to increase the moisture in the pile and it worked...no more ants that i could see. bonus! got the diatamaceous earth as a backup though... thanks to my brother and son for the help w/the blocks ( photo / image / picture from razyrsharpe's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from razyrsharpe's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from razyrsharpe's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from razyrsharpe's Garden )
i turned the pile again today...i try to do it every 10-14 days, and the ants have not come back... but the great story here is i found worms in my compost pile! a couple of big, fat healthy worms. loving it!
A lot nicer to have worms in the pile than those nasty ants. Keep turning and good luck with the next piles. Jerry
