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How to Make Inexpensive Fire Ant Poison
How to Make Inexpensive Fire Ant Poison. Fire ants are notoriously aggressive and territorial, swarming over anything which may threaten their nest. Their bites are considerably more painful than those of a common ant, and fire ants have the potential to attack and kill small animals. They also cause a great nuisance by traveling in massive...
Fire ants are notoriously aggressive and territorial, swarming over anything which may threaten their nest. Their bites are considerably more painful than those of a common ant, and fire ants have the potential to attack and kill small animals. They also cause a great nuisance by traveling in massive numbers, swarming buildings and fields and often causing severe damage to crops and electrical equipment. There are several recipes using ordinary household products to create a lethal fire ant poison or an effective repellent.
Things You'll Need
Spray bottle
Bleach
Bath cleaner
Mop
Bucket
Dish soap
Laundry detergent
Bleach Poison
Mix equal parts bleach and commercial bath cleaner in a spray bottle.
Spray the mixture directly onto the ants in and around the home, making sure to do so only on hardwood or linoleum floors. The ants should stop moving within seconds and die in a matter of minutes. If they don't, apply more of the mixture.
Sweep up the dead ants and liquid with a wet mop.
Cheap Repellent
Mix equal parts of dish soap and laundry detergent in a bucket.
Pour the mixture around the foundation of the house, on windowsills and over any cracks in the walls of the house. Note that this may also be used to directly poison the ants. However, it isn't as effective as the bleach-based mixture.
Reapply the mixture to the outside of the house if it rains.
Tips & Warnings
If you find a fire ant mound, make a hole in the top that reaches down to the bottom and insert a piece of dry ice, or pour three liters of boiling water down it. This kills the queen ant and therefore the colony. If using water, it must be boiling, as ants can survive 24 hours underwater without drowning.
Ensure that you attack only fire ants; other varieties of ants tend to slow down the spread of fire ant colonies by their entrenched position and also by reducing the food supply.
