"Freckles" wrote in
:


"Ulysses" wrote in message
...
I have a big problem with little ants. Not the really tiny
micro-ants, but
the red ones that are maybe 1/2" long. They are surprisingly painful
when they bite you and leave a sizable welt. I have tried sprinkling
the anthills with Bug-B-Gone and it seems to work for about three
days and then
they just open up a new hole and go on about their business. I even
tried spraying them with Raid but that had little effect. Anyone
have a product that they like for getting rid of ants? If it's
possible I would prefer a product that won't kill any birds that eat
the ants. The quail appear to eat the ants but I can't really
confirm this. In any case they don't eat enough of them to make a
difference so now I'm wondering about anteaters and
if they would like living in Southern California High Desert and if
the coyotes would bother them and if they could actually control the
problem. Seriously.


Sounds like you have fire ants.

There are fire ant baits that work somewhat in at least slowing them
up. One year I had so many fire ant mounds in my yard I had my lawn
care company spread something on my yard that got rid of them for that
one season. It was rather expensive and I don't know if it was lethal
to the birds, but it did stop the ants for a year or so.

Here in Texas they are experimenting using some kind of imported tiny
wasps that are supposed to eradicate fire ants for once and all.

Freckles




fire ants are only about 1/8" long.

the wasp is the Phorid Fly.

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/..._species_turns
_red_imported_fire_ants_into_zombies.html

or;
http://tinyurl.com/posc8f

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net