Little, tiny ants

[peteadams]

Another LFA thread is http://www.punaweb.org/Forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=16394

The bifenthrin noted here is the Talstar P I talked about in the thread. We have used it for a long time and it is very effective against LFA (and other crawling insects) plus it is persistent for at least a couple of months. It is a synthetic pyrethrin, the chrysanthemum (pyrethrum daisy) pesticide used in organic gardening.

[csgray]

We have had 3 dogs on this property at the same time, all on the same flea/heartworm monthly treatment. One never got bit in the eyes, one rarely, and one is now virtually blind. The only difference is where they each hang out in the yard.

Carol

[nani1970]

These little ants are mainly in the kitchen.
I don't think they are fire ants.
Have not seen any in the yard.
I got the little Terro baits, and they loved that stuff.
Spreading it all over the counters.
Also tried Andro baits. No change.
Vinegar and water kills them, but they come back the next day.
They love the orange water container, and climb inside the spout.

[nana valley]

nani, again, I bet they are the so-called "ghost ant" I referred to earlier in this post. Terminex is coming next week and I will ask him what he used that totally eliminated the ants in my house. They are not LFA's! They don't bite but are such a nuisance around the kitchen. The ants ignored all the ant baits I brought home from Ace's.

He who hoots with owls at night cannot soar with the eagles in the morning.

[PauHana]

DOA told me Amdro is only approved in bait stations when used for fruit trees so I started making bait stations with a few grains of Amdro rolled up in strips of aluminum foil so it stays dry, and then bending it over a branch. It gets LFA up in the trees and uses very little Amdro. I have been using this method for at least seven years and it works well outdoors especially if you are going to pick fruit.
FYI
A lady at the farmers market said DEET (mosquito repellant) neutralizes the sting of LFA, and it works for me. Itch goes away shortly and no iche-scrachi bumps for a week after like usual.

[terracore]

quote:

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Originally posted by PauHana

A lady at the farmers market said DEET (mosquito repellant) neutralizes the sting of LFA, and it works for me. Itch goes away shortly and no iche-scrachi bumps for a week after like usual.

---

Thanks! I am going to try this!

[taropatch]

The latest and greatest on the war is discussed at the Hilo Ant Lab:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/littlefireants

The August 30 workshop was well-atttended and highly informative. They even mixed the "Tango bait" in the hothouse to show us how it looked and we even shot some of it into the trees. The "Tango portion" of the recipe was just water to simulate it -- can't waste that expensive stuff.

With the weather we have been getting, it is perfect for AMDRO application. Do it once every 6 weeks but do the ENTIRE PROPERTY. A pound (that one bottle) covers a half acre so you should broadcast very sparingly. I've been treating my place and those granules are highly effective. 4 hours of non-rain is all that is required for the bait to work. Any zero rain beyond that is gravy.

Terracore thanks for the Amazon link -- that is the cheapest I've seen.

[jlgerk]

quote:

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Originally posted by nani1970

We have got little tiny ants in our house.
They are mostly in my nice clean kitchen.
Have tried all the natural ways to kill them.
Does not work.
Every morning my counters are crawling with them.
What kind of bait will work on these critters?

---

I am Nani1970's husband.
We have concluded they are called Glaber Ants
After trying all the poison baits, Vinagar, Bleach, and none of them keeping them away, we heard about and used some diluted Pure-Castile Peppermint Soap.

After a week, 95% effective, and the place smells nice too.

[missydog1]

I know this is a bit far north for some of you, but for anyone who wants to come up to PapaÔikou, and for Punatalk readers who live in Hilo or on Hamakua -- weÔll be having a community meeting on the LFA problem this coming Tuesday, the 10th, at the PapaÔikou Community Center.
Maplink: http://goo.gl/maps/9u9pm on Maluna Place.

Meeting is at 6 PM, refreshments served and welcome.
First segment of meeting is on crime and safety with Prosecutor Mitch Roth, Community Prosecutor Glen Shiigi, and Community Policing Officer. The segment on LFA will probably start at about 7 PM or shortly thereafter.

There will be a presentation given by:
Cas Vanderwoude
Hawai`i Ant Lab, Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit, University of Hawaii,
with Q&A afterwards.

Anyone who has fought the good fight and wants to share winning strategies is very welcome to come and help out those who feel defeated by these things!

Meanwhile, this topic is a great resource, and I am going to give our community association the link.

Re the meeting, you are welcome to show up halfway through if you only want to hear about the ants, but the parking and seating will be tighter at that point. There will be a break for refreshments and socializing between segments.

Meeting hosted by Rural South Hilo Community Association. If you live in rural South Hilo and would like to be on our mailing list, you can email ruralsouthhilo@gmail.com . []

ed. to put the g in gmail. [:I]

[taropatch]

Just a heads-up -- Farm Supply Cooperative selling AMDRO (1 lb) for $13.50 during September.