LFA Flight distance for new colonies.

[Wao nahele kane]

I've seen photos of both reproductive male and female lfa with wings. It claimed they were used during mating flights only. Workers don't grow wings. I didn't save the link but it was from a research paper. If I run across it again I'll post it here. I could only find one article that addressed a method in which average flight distance could be calculated but it was used on a different type of ant. In any case, "Not far" is probably far enough to wreak havoc on an island.

"According to the Hawaii Ant Lab they don't fly !"
According to the research paper I read not from Hawaii they do fly during mating time BUT and a big BUT, they wont if it's windy... I'll have to dig back up that document. IT would appear there may be some conflicting information that could be due to the environmental conditions of the observation regions.

[ElysianWort]

I have a grapefruit tree near the house and I was recently peeling an accumulation of moss off the trunk and branches. Under the moss, about every 8-10 inches were mini colonies of fire ants. Eggs, males with wings, females and a queen or two or three.
Good to know about tango. Thank you terracore I almost wasted money on it.
Dan D: thanks for the info. Where do you buy Extinguish and Provaunt?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIUre6lz2GI

[Lee M-S]

One of the Master Gardeners gave a talk about pests; he said the colonies tend to be about 10 feet apart, but that can vary.

If you kill much but not all of the colony, the queen produces lots more queens, and they spread out and start new colonies. If you kill the entire colony, more ants can still come onto your property.

Also, if you use the same pesticide all the time, they can become resistant to it. Try a different poison every 3 months to avoid breeding super ants.

><(((*< ... ><(("< ... ><('< ... >o>

[terracore]

"Also, if you use the same pesticide all the time, they can become resistant to it. Try a different poison every 3 months to avoid breeding super ants."

I've never tried contact insecticides against LFA except for the spray variety that sprays on a surface and kills for 21 days. That stuff is fast and final. Any 6 legged creature that tries to walk across it won't live long enough to pass along any resistance... but it only works inside. Sometimes you can get a can of "ant and roach" variety at the Malama Market on sale for under $4.

Outside I've used Amdro, Extinguish, Firestrike, Siesta, and similar varieties of fireant BAIT. Ant bait is different in that it is intended for killing colonies rather than individuals. The only effective varieties I have found are poisoned corn grits. The LFA (being smaller than the grits) suck the corn oil and poisons out and take them back to the colony and share them. THEN THEY DIE. All the little plastic bait stations sold, regardless of brand or active ingredient, are 100% worthless. The sweet boric acid variety will kill some LFA, and you will see dead LFA thinking that its working, but those LFA all die before they can return to the colony and poison the queens. When more workers go out than come back, the LFA colony responds by increasing output of both workers and breeders. That's why the "natural" "hippy" ant control techniques based on what Grandma said (even though grandma's ants weren't LFA) actually make the problem worse.

Amdro and Extinguish have worked for me a few times, then the ants seem to no longer be attracted to the bait. I don't know why. Siesta works much faster (the ants stop showing up less than a day after you put it out) and it has worked consistently. I imagine it will eventually quit working but until then, it is the best product I have found for completely decimating the ground-dwelling LFA. You will have to use a gel product to kill the ones in the trees and elsewhere, and find a method to get the gel bait to where the ants are. Not so easy with a 100' tall albezia with a 1 acre canopy. (LFA only travel about 10' from their individual nest... so work those logistics out on that albezia... and please post your solution here).

Siesta is more expensive, and harder to find (they have it at Pahoa feed) but in my experience it is 1000% more effective than any other bait granule I have tried, and I have tried EVERY product available locally and most of the others available on the internet.

"One of the Master Gardeners gave a talk about pests; he said the colonies tend to be about 10 feet apart, but that can vary."

I spoke to a master gardener who told me that the LFA would be wiped out a few days after using Tango. Based on that BS advice I wasted over a hundred of dollars and many months, suffering over a hundred stings in the process, following a regimen that doesn't work. Don't trust a master gardener when you should be listening to Billy The Exterminator.

eta: content

[dan d]

Hi Elysian
The tango and Extinguish are both available at CPS crop production service
on the road to the hilo dump

To Teracore
Please use the ant lab and the CTHAR publications to help you chose proper controls

The master gardeners can ONLY give advice found there

The tango will not "wipe them out" Its a growth inhibitor and works over time to help kill the queen
Aloha

Dan D
HPP