Little fire ants

[Paul]

Is anybody having problems with fire ants, and what's the best way to deal with them?

[missydog1]

There's a lot of stuff on the gardening forum about the LFA ... as you are new to posting, you may not realize the extensive resource in that forum for dealing with pests.

I've used the granules to treat the mounds. The brand needs to say on the bag that it controls fire ants. I can see the bag in my mind but I haven't bought it in a few years. Grants maybe? With the LFA, you can treat the area where you find them wandering, but you really want to find the mound, which isn't always easy. Hopefully you know.

[mailesomaha]

We went to the Kau Seed Exchange and Talk Story last weekend. It was awesome!!! The 'Supervisor' of the Master Gardeners of the University of Hawaii's Extension service spoke at the forum. She said they recommend Amdro for the fire ants. She also said that the University normally stays away from recommending 'brand' names, but in the case of fire ants in Hawaii chose to specifically endorse this product for the potentially widely destructive problem.

[steve1]

Little Fire Ants are definitely in the top 100 problematic invasive species and perhaps one of the top 10 globally. Unfortunately they aren't a problem in Honolulu yet so the State isn't really making a concerted effort to control or eradicate them. That's one problem with a centralized government run from somewhere else.

Whenever trying to kill off a species it is very helpful to familiarize yourself with that particular species' life cycle in order to launch an effective campaign of death. There are something like 17 species of ants here in Hawaii with different preferences and life cycles and controls for one species may not be effective against another species. Little fireant or Wasmannia auropunctata is a particularly tenacious species because small groups of ants keep breaking off from the main colony and forming new colonies. They forage virtually 24 hours a day and can both bite and sting with a highly toxic venom which some people are highly allergic to. You may want to do an internet search on Wasmannia auropunctata to get some background information, and the resident expert from Hawaii runs this site: http://www.littlefireants.com/

Many people recommend the brand name Amdro, but Amdro makes a variety of products so make sure you get one which is labeled for Little Fireant. The active ingredient of the preferred product for Little Fireant is Hydramethylnon which is particularly attractive to the species. I have heard other people say that Amdro isn't that effective and suggest using a product called Extinguish Plus which is more expensive but perhaps more effective. It contains Hydramethylnon and S-Methoprene, and insect growth regulator.

When Little Fireant was discovered on Maui the Hawaii DOA made a real effort to squelch them and used a combination of chemicals for different areas: Hydramethylnon, Pyriproxyfen, and indoxacarb. I know you can buy indoxacarb gel over the internet in a Dupont product called Advion Ant Gel, but it is only supposed to be used by licensed professionals.

One approach to control would be to first bait the ants to attract them then follow up a couple/ few days later with a quick-kill product. If they are in your house you may want to form a perimeter of death outside the foundation with a granular synthetic pyrethroid products. They must be watered in well right after application to activate the product and keep them from harming pets and children.

Whatever chemicals you do decide to use I would recommend reading the label thoroughly and only use as directed. If you don't have the time, interest or inclination to do the research yourself you may want to contact a professional exterminator. Call or drop in on the DOA and ask for their help. You pay taxes that keep them employed so they should be willing work for you. Finally, you probably need to be aware that managing Little Fireant will be a long term commitment that will probably cost hundreds of dollars a year unless you move somewhere else that doesn't have them yet.

[Paul]

Thanks so much for the information!

Here's my situation - I was about to make an offer on a lot and received a disclosure from my realtor about the growing LFA problem in Puna. This was enough to make me reconsider my plans to move to the area. I've been visiting for years and I'm pretty familiar with the positives and negatives, but this was the first time I heard about the ants. It's a potential issue because I've had allergic reactions to yellow jacket stings, so I'm scrambling to make a quick study of these pests and make an informed decision about my move. Any other information is much appreciated.

[TheodoreJay]

In general if bugs, misquitos, loud frogs, geckos, "bug" you then the higher elevation towns such as Volcano will be less of a problem but of course colder. Well def. have the property closely inspected for signs of the ants and what the other negatives might be such as termites and know what your annual costs will be to control. Get a qualified pest control company to assess the situation. If you are allergic to wasp/bee stings then fire ants may be just as problematic. They are a particular problem in the southern mainland. Getting stung is no fun and they leave many little pimple like sores if they attack.

[Kapohocat]

Our neighbor made a solution of molasses, garlic, chili peppers and water and it has worked well. Not only are the ants attracted to the molasses but I guess there is something in it that is poison to them. I thought it hokey at first but we tried it.

Take the garlic and peppers - cut in 1/2 and just dump in a blender, add water to fill. Blend the whole thing till peppers and garlic is really ground up - almost smooth - strain through cheesecloth. Add the liquid to a gal of warm water and a cup of molasses. (The molasses will of course dissolve easier in the warm water.) He just put it in his pump sprayer and sprayed all the plants, and especially the bases of the coconut and banana trees.

His yard is uncommonly almost fire ant free. We started following it and the ants are subsiding but my neighbor is more vigilant that us so his problem is doing better than ours.

Benefit is the molasses has something in it that the plants like so it helps them at the same time.

Dont have any scientific data on this. I did add a tablespoon of peppermint soap from Island Naturals - Dr Bronners? - to my mix and it definitely helps the white fly population stay low.

One important thing - stay upwind as the chili and garlic will make you cough!!

[Paul]

Thanks for all the advice. I will have somebody inspect the lot, and if anybody has any suggestions about who's qualified to do that, I'd appreciate it.

And as an outsider I'm really impressed with the sense of community I get through this bulletin board!

Paul

[Guest]

Honestly, if bugs "bug" you, you might be moving to the wrong place. You could consider a much higher elevation, but to get away from most (not all) critters, you will have to give up hot days and warm nights. You can always drive to the warmer weather. Even at 4,000 feet you will be dealing with biting spiders and recently very few and fairly non-aggressive mosquitoes.
But seriously, do some homework on the variety of biting critters who live in Puna. And remember, more can be introduced at any time. Humans love the nice weather but we're not the only ones.

[Guest]

After reading your post, I should say that there are bees at the higher elevations. They don't seem to be very aggressive but I did get stung once for peeing in the wrong place by accident. Can't say I blame them. I have also had ants from time to time but not the biting kind.