*This post may contain affiliate links. Check out my About page for more info.
It’s spring. The garden is all done and ready to be planted. We should be past our last frost.
Fire ants.
I haven’t even used my garden yet and there are fire ants in it. I’m so annoyed, a bit discouraged, but mostly worried about my toddler and my future plants.
So far, I have put boiling water on them, mixed hot water with dawn and orange oil and soaked the mound, and today I bought DE(affiliate) to attempt that. I bought mine at a local feed store(it’s chick season and I needed a fix), but you can purchase it online through amazon at the link provided. Just make sure it’s food grade. More info on DE can be found here. I recommend wearing a mask and not breathing it in. This(affiliate) is the one I love.
The lady at the feed store said she wasn’t sure if the DE would work on fire ants specifically, but she said it can work on black ants and slugs. At this point I’ll try anything within organic means to irritate them enough to go somewhere else. The boiling is effective, but I’m worried about it killing plants and seeds. The orange oil thing seems to produce a lot of ant bodies as well. I’m probably going to cycle these three things and keep hoping for the best.
If I could avoid ticks, fire ants, and mosquitos…well that would be heaven.
Anyone have any tried and true techniques for fire ants that worked for you?
A Hen and Her Chicks 