LFA - again

[Justin]

Thank you for this info. I was not aware that Talstar had a specific use, I had always thought it was an alternative to Amdro or Tango - not something to be used in conjunction. Aside from a tank with an air compressor, are there suggestions for getting the Tango mix into the treetops? High-powered squirt gun?

[steve1]

Yes, thanks for posting that description Mindful. Good overview for most people to understand. A couple of suggestions though: instead of Amdro brand of bait, Siesta has a different active ingredient which is supposed to be more effective and safer for people and pets but the real advantage is that it can be re-wet and dried and still effective, whereas Amdro is a one shot deal and once it's wet it's no longer attractive or useful.

And for you Justin: Talstar contains the synthetic pyrethroid "bifinthrin" which is a potent neurotoxin (fries the brain) but those of us with livers (like people and dogs) can process the poison out of our bloodstream if we don't absorb too much at once. Always read and follow labels for pesticides and if unsure you can call the telephone number on the label and ask for advice on your particular situation. Chemical companies spend million$ of dollars producing exact language for each and every pesticide and you are legally required to read and understand them fully before using their product.

There is some good info on application methods on the little fire and website <littlefireants.com> and there is a Yahoo subgroup where people ask questions and post ideas. Yes, some people are using blaster squirt guns to shoot the bait up into trees as well as modified fire extinguishers and high pressure grease guns. There is a good homeowner factsheet overview on the Antweb's website where you acnb download and/or print a PDf instruction file from here:
http://littlefireants.com/lfa%20fact%20sheet%202.pdf

[terracore]

Has anybody tried the Siesta? I got all excited when I saw it, but then I looked it up and saw that it uses the same corn grit and vegetable oil baiting mechanism as amdro, firestrike, etc. In my experience the high humidity makes the bait unattractive to the ants after several hours. I don't know that a more expensive poison will be any more effective when the baiting mechanism is the same. Would love to hear experiences before considering purchase.

[Mindful]

Yes. There are several baits that are good. I'm going to start using Siesta instead of Amdro.

Also, there are non toxic ones like Esteem Fire Ant bait and Extinguish Pro that are suggested to use near food plants. The only problem with those is that the ants don't like them and tend to not take the bait.

I spoke with a professional and asked about treating for centipedes because none of this stuff works for them. He said a product called Diamond G (deltamethryne) is what works but hard to find.

Also, he told me the "Rolls Royce" of barrier treatments is Termidor (fiprinol) but near impossible to get. You need a license to get it and when the Terminix, etc. guys get it, the employees all steal it for themselves so no customers ever get it.

[MarkP]

I have gotten bitten a few times by small red ants that I would have said are fire ants. I have only seen them inside. Having seen them inside in my sawdust toilet (ouch) I strongly suspected I would find them in the palms under which my compost pile is located, but I have not. My reaction to the bites seems less severe than others have described so perhaps I don't have true LFA.

[Tink]

On Amazon you can find both deltamythryne and fiprinol(disguised as frontline spray for animals, look at the ingredients). The spray is handy to "dust" the baseboards if you have pets as well. Just search deltamythryne in search for it, and pet needs for the other.

Community begins with Aloha

[steve1]

I posted a link at the top of this page to a well written set of instructions written by experts about how to control fire ants around homes. It includes the names and sources of various products along with ratings as to their effectiveness.

What I find interesting is that some people choose to ignore documented and peer reviewed information and choose instead to rely on anecdotal evidence of anonymous sidewalk philosophers.

Why are some pesticides restricted? Because their use can be damaging to inexperienced operators, to other people, and to other creatures in the environment. Any "expert" who tells you there is a "Rolls Royce" of chemicals that you can't access is just a fool spouting ignorance. Fiprinol is commonly used as a flea and tick repellant for pets like dogs but the dosage is small and there is a low potential of harming the environment. It is also implicated as perhaps the # 1 chemical causing bee colony collapse because it is highly toxic to honeybees and between the varroa mite and colony collapse we are losing one of our most precious insect pollinators and it is severely impacting our agricultural crop production and yields. So please don't just take the advice of sidewalk philosophers and instead trust the advice of educated experts like the people who wrote this informative guide to controlling little fireants around the home: http://littlefireants.com/lfa%20fact%20sheet%202.pdf

[Tink]

Did not know treating the baseboards for fleas, and small critters associated with household pets including ants with Frontline spray could possibly harm the honeybee population. Good to know and will search for a replacement. Mahalo.

Community begins with Aloha

[ElysianWort]

Sorry Obie but you are wrong about LFA's not marching in lines or columns as you called it. When their numbers are up the do it all the time. My eyes are sharp, Iknow exactly what LFA's look like and I can see them all along the bottom wires of my fence. They like to use it as a highway to get to wherever they are going.

[Royall]

Just had one of Zach Taylor's crew come out and treat my 1 acre with Tango. Cost 60 bucks and will need to be done every 3 weeks for a total of 3-4 times to kill the newly hatched ants. I'm more interested in getting them under control so I can start killing junk trees. Right now, I don't like going out in the forest because of the "rain" of ants. The phone # if you want to talk to him is: 443 6008