01-19-2015, 05:28 AM
Another thought on LFA.... the reason why we have to make our own poison concoctions like the Tango gel bait recipe is because (as far as I know) NO commercial product has ever been brought to market in the USA for use against LFA. The off-the-shelf fire ant products are made for "regular" fire ants. These are completely different species and the thing they have most in common is a painful sting. "regular" fire ants live in the ground, not trees, and the regulations for ground applications of poisons is vastly different than spraying in trees (read: trees where our food comes from).
Essentially, everything we are using against LFA should be considered "experimental" and maybe that is why nothing is very effective. I think the Hawaii Ant Lab is doing a pretty good job, but their funding is limited compared to a petrochemical corporation that could throw a billion dollars at the problem in hopes of recouping it 10x later. As far as I know, none of these companies are researching LFA specific products because the market isn't there yet, plus we continue purchasing their fire ant products that don't work very well against LFA (but they are better than nothing).
LFA can not move Amdro granules (the granules are several times larger than they are) and take them back to the nest. Instead, they bite down on the granules and suck the oil (and poison) out of them, and carry it back to the nest in whatever unholy organ they use as a stomach. Back at the nest they regurgitate for the juveniles and royalty. During my online research I did run across a technique used in Australia that involves adding a little soybean oil to the Amdro to make it easier for LFA to extract the poison, but it was just a mention and didn't include any scientific data. I have observed LFA and do occasionally see them carrying things, however they are so small I don't know what they are carrying. I do not know if they are carrying it back to the nest. One of the things I have considered is running poison bait granules though a food processor to decrease the size of the granules to an appropriate LFA size as an experiment to see if it makes it more effective or if they will carry it. And perhaps even adding something to them in the process. If I ever see a food processor at a garage sale for cheap I may consider it. It probably won't work... but then again, this is all just a huge experiment.
ETA: "Amdro" is a name brand. There are many Amdro products that do not work and are not labeled for use against regular fire ants. Home Depot sells an Amdro ant bait station that contains the same poison as their fire ant products, however it does not contain a fire ant bait and is 100% ineffective against both fire ants and LFA. Be sure to read the label. Amdro does not always = fire ant product.
Essentially, everything we are using against LFA should be considered "experimental" and maybe that is why nothing is very effective. I think the Hawaii Ant Lab is doing a pretty good job, but their funding is limited compared to a petrochemical corporation that could throw a billion dollars at the problem in hopes of recouping it 10x later. As far as I know, none of these companies are researching LFA specific products because the market isn't there yet, plus we continue purchasing their fire ant products that don't work very well against LFA (but they are better than nothing).
LFA can not move Amdro granules (the granules are several times larger than they are) and take them back to the nest. Instead, they bite down on the granules and suck the oil (and poison) out of them, and carry it back to the nest in whatever unholy organ they use as a stomach. Back at the nest they regurgitate for the juveniles and royalty. During my online research I did run across a technique used in Australia that involves adding a little soybean oil to the Amdro to make it easier for LFA to extract the poison, but it was just a mention and didn't include any scientific data. I have observed LFA and do occasionally see them carrying things, however they are so small I don't know what they are carrying. I do not know if they are carrying it back to the nest. One of the things I have considered is running poison bait granules though a food processor to decrease the size of the granules to an appropriate LFA size as an experiment to see if it makes it more effective or if they will carry it. And perhaps even adding something to them in the process. If I ever see a food processor at a garage sale for cheap I may consider it. It probably won't work... but then again, this is all just a huge experiment.
ETA: "Amdro" is a name brand. There are many Amdro products that do not work and are not labeled for use against regular fire ants. Home Depot sells an Amdro ant bait station that contains the same poison as their fire ant products, however it does not contain a fire ant bait and is 100% ineffective against both fire ants and LFA. Be sure to read the label. Amdro does not always = fire ant product.