"new" magic bullet for LFA?

[Eric1600]

Sure but only about 5% of the colony are out exploring and getting killed by those instant baits the ones with toxins get taken back to the colony. Some of the liquid packs have oils in them as well as a sugar to maximize their appeal. I've used the TERRO liquid ant baits and they also work on fire ants.

[Lodestone]

I've been using the following method with great (as in, hardly ever get bit anymore - maybe once a month) success:

I alternate monthly treatments of Siesta and Provaunt. The twist being, I ball up the Siesta (a little spit applied as needed) and chuck it up into my trees. Most of it falls back to the ground (or my face), but some finds a nook or cranny and stays in the trees. (And besides, the ground is where it was supposed to be applied anyway). The catch being, most of my trees are "short" (banana trees were my biggest source of stings), so employing Marcus Mariota may be a prerequisite for treating Albezias and such.

Perhaps it is actually the bi-monthly squirts of Provaunt that is actually killing the tree-dwellers, who knows. But Siesta definitely is irresistible to them and extremely effective.

[Lodestone]

Full disclosure: While I consider the war with LFAs won, I have surrendered to mosquitoes. Removing bromeliads was futile. If you are surrounded by jungle, you are going to get bit. Period.

[ericlp]

I'm happy when I see 20' long by 2' wide pile of dead ants out on the deck that are not alive in the house. I think it's a very good deal! I hate fire ants and so far have managed to keep them out of the house. Another thing that works is boric acid. I put it around each pier block and on the floorboards of inside the house. A really good cheap barrier. I reapply every 3 months.

[taropatch]

quote:

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Originally posted by Eric1600

According to the Hawaii Ant Lab guys, LFA learn from toxins and once some of the workers or parts of the colony die off they are quick to avoid that bait again. So it might work temporarily, but in the long run you have to alternate between a bait with IGR (insect growth regulator) like Tango and a bait with toxin. Those roach baits typically have boric acid in them as the toxin which you can buy for much cheaper and mix to make your own bait if you want. Roaches like sweet things, but a cheap sweet peanut butter will attract LFA workers too as they seek proteins. They use other insects as slaves and farm carbohydrates using them so they don't seek out sugars.

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That "learn" comment is correct according to the HAL. At the seminar they said to wait 6-8 weeks for a repeat application of whatever you are using because it takes that long for their "memory to fade". Alternating with other baits would help too.

[Midnight Rambler]

I had good success with the Tango gel bait; they said it would take multiple applications to take them down but about 80-90% of my property was cleared with one treatment (or possibly two, I didn't actually put out monitoring baits before the second, but they definitely weren't obvious). But since then (almost a year ago), I've had a hell of a time rooting out those last holdouts. They're mostly in plants with whorled leaves - hala, sugarcane, coconut, ti, and heliconia, plus a few in an ulu - so I think they have enough colonies down in the crevices that they can hang out and survive. Definitely need to try another bait; I've been using the beef liver powder, but I'm going to go with peanut butter next time.

[ElysianWort]

I'm stoked that people like you are doing these experiments Terracore! Thanks! Eventually we may find something great.

Punatic007 I love the Spinosad idea, it's gotta be better than spraying that home defense poison, and probably more effective than soapy water. I like that it's organic and I happen to already have some in my shed. I've never heard of it as being a fertilizer though. Are you sure?

Lodestone I agree with you, the Siesta is irresistible to them and I too throw it up in the trees and some DOES get caught in the nooks and crannies. To bad the stuff stops working in the rain though. Hey where do you purchase the provaunt?

There's another type of killing method using fungus to infect the colonies. I forget what it's called but it's supposed to spread after introducing sick ants back into colonies. I've seen it advertised lately. Has anyone tried this?

[terracore]

Ants back this morning. Actually look like MORE than before. Most of the bait I had put out is gone so I put out some more. I had only put out about a split-pea sized drop. This time I applied a similar drop about every 10 feet as recommended on the tube.

[ElysianWort]

quote:

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Originally posted by Eric1600

According to the Hawaii Ant Lab guys, LFA learn from toxins and once some of the workers or parts of the colony die off they are quick to avoid that bait again. So it might work temporarily, but in the long run you have to alternate between a bait with IGR (insect growth regulator) like Tango and a bait with toxin. Those roach baits typically have boric acid in them as the toxin which you can buy for much cheaper and mix to make your own bait if you want. Roaches like sweet things, but a cheap sweet peanut butter will attract LFA workers too as they seek proteins. They use other insects as slaves and farm carbohydrates using them so they don't seek out sugars.

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Also I wanted to mention that, Eric, it isn't so cut and dry as all that. Yes they farm aphids and scales to get sugar but that isn't the only steadfast rule. They do seek out sugar sometimes, they especially like fruit sugar. I've been fortunate enough to be feasting on mangosteen and other exotic fruits this summer as my land gives back to me and I notice that they are attracted to my fruit compost bucket and go straight for the sweet leftovers. It is true that they prefer protein though.

[terracore]

You can get Provaunt at CPS (its on the way to the Hilo dump). I think I paid $115 for a bottle but its a super concentrate, so like a lifetime supply.

It seemed to work but I can't find a reliable delivery system. I've tried using the sprayers recommended by HAL but they always give out about halfway through the application. I've though about adding less xantham gum to the recipe but also worried that may make the bait less attractive or cause the ingredients not to emulsify. Does anybody have any ideas? Has anybody (other than the pros) combined Tango an Provaunt and have a recipe to share?

Also the Provaunt recipe is different than Tango. You can find it here: http://www.littlefireants.com/provaunt.html