Natural Control for Fire Ants

By Bob Fitzsimmons

The imported fire ant tops the list of most annoying pests. No one wants them in their yard or garden.

There are natural controls for fire ants which will not poison other, beneficial insects that live in your yard. Beneficial insects are important in keeping the populations of unwanted insects in check.

As they appear, treat individual fire ant mounds in one of the following ways:

• A compost tea drench poured into the mound
• Spray the mound with beneficial nematodes
• Dust the mound with diatomaceous earth
• Concentrated orange oil as a liquid drench, which will melt the ants’ skeletal coverings on-the-spot.

The most effective product to use on fire ant mounds is a blend of compost tea, liquid molasses, and citrus oil. Garden-Ville’s Fire ant control has all of these ingredients combined as a drench for fire ant mounds.

The best way to control fire ants is to convert to an all-natural lawn care program. Don’t spray poisons in your landscape that reduce populations of beneficial microbes, insects, lizards, toads, and birds. These critters all help to keep fire ant populations in check.