Local sources of Antixx or Firefighter Fire Ant baits?

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

The key is that the poison bait has to be slow-acting enough to allow the workers to get it back to the nest

I had a few spots in my house where fire ants had entered.  I placed a large sheet of paper with Antixx on it in those locations.  The ants swarmed, within a few days they were gone.  I haven’t seen any since.  I don’t know for certain, but I’m hoping some of them made it back to the nest with bait.

Outside, I have an in-ground lily pond and noticed something floating on the surface of the water a few days ago.  I looked closely & it was hundreds of dead fire ants.  The mosquito fish won’t touch them fortunately, but I can see how effective the Antixx is.  

Antixx is easy to apply.  Put on a glove, open the bag, pour a little into a bucket, and sprinkle. 

[terracore]

The Antixx didn't work for us. I went to the ant lab web site to see what the latest and greatest is and they had an article from last year that Hawaii was shipped some expired bait that wasn't effective. I'm going to try and email the company and see if they will replace it.

https://littlefireants.com/is-your-granular-bait-fresh/

[AaronM]

We need to import some anteaters who enjoy spicy food...

[Or1on]

I thought of the anteater idea too.  That would be too easy and it'll never happen.  Of course we would only see the negative side of that after they are here.  I googled and apparently they can spread diseases.  Including leprosy?!

[terracore]

Well contacting Antixx about the bad bait I received was a waste of time.

They called me back and agreed, they should replace the bait, and said they would call Nutrien (previously known as CPS) in Hilo.  They called me back a few minutes later and told me that Nutrien would exchange it.  Sounded too easy.  I was instantly suspicious.  So I asked, who did you talk to?  "Jackie.  Jackie said they would exchange it, we will reimburse them."

Had decades of bad luck come to an end?  Was I dreaming?

So off to Nutrien I went.  When I showed up, their warehouse was empty, there was a bunch of construction going on, and a PRIVATE PROPERTY sign was posted discouraging me from exploring further.  I looked them up online.  I was at the correct address.  They hadn't moved.  Except they weren't there.   So I looked them up on the Nutrien web site.  Same thing.  They moved and forgot to tell the internet, or post any signs telling what their new address was.

So I asked one of the construction workers where they moved to, he found a flyer that said 888 Kalanianaole Street.  So I drove there.  It was a gas station.  I drove up and down the street both ways knowing that Siri sometimes gets cranky, like I was starting to feel.  Unfortunately because of the road construction in the area the entire block is one way, so "turning around" to continue looking for it was a long drive.  

So I got back to where Siri promised they would be and turned into the gas station.  Past the gas station was a short driveway to a tour company, and attached the same warehouse as them was an unmarked business.  It was Nutrien.  Signage near the road would have helped.  Their operation isn't visible from the road.  It's not even visible from the gas station.

So after waiting my turn in line, I explain I want to exchange defective product, and they tell me they won't.  But I have an ace up my sleeve. Jackie. "Jackie approved this."

"Nobody named Jackie works here."

So back to square 1, I call up Antixx and explain what happened.  And she confessed, Jackie works for Antixx.  They never contacted Nutrien.  But she will call me back right away.  So I wait in my car so I don't have to waste another 90 minutes RT driving out there and after a few minutes they called me back and told me too bad, so sad, there is nothing they can do, and pointed finger back at Nutrien.

It would have been a better outcome, instead of buying the Antixx, wasting the time to apply it, and the time buying and trying to return it, and wasting time on emails and phone calls, if I just piled up $85 and set it on fire. And if I set the fire on some ants, it would have been more effective than their product.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

I had the same experience trying to find Nutrien last week.  When I finally did, the product I wanted was either unreachable behind other pallets, or not in stock. They weren’t sure which.  Everything is currently on a need to know basis.  

The FBI agent I met at Hawaiian Air Cargo some years ago was more forthcoming when I asked him a few questions about the cool equipment they were shipping.

When I bought Antixx I thought it was very effective, initially.  But as terracore noted, it’s not working now.

[kalakoa]

I get the distinct impression that Nutrien (CPS, etc) restructures themselves every couple of years to evade the liability issues involved in what they sell. An unmarked building merely supports this theory.

[My 2 cents]

We need to import some anteaters who enjoy spicy food...

Am I the only one who has the little black ants that wipe out the fire ants?

Should I be packaging the little buggers and selling them?

[terracore]

We need to import some anteaters who enjoy spicy food...

Am I the only one who has the little black ants that wipe out the fire ants?

Should I be packaging the little buggers and selling them?

In my experience, the little black ants don't displace the fire ants, they move in after the fire ants have been displaced.  Eventually, the LFA reclaim their territory.  Maybe the black ants slow that process down.  And if so, I will fight to the last black ant.

[My 2 cents]

Here is what I said about it on the previous page of this topic 11 months ago:

“I used Tango for six months.  Followed directions and proper intervals.  I saw no change.

One treatment of Avant and they were gone the next day.

Started seeing some ants after about 3 months.  Did another treatment.

6 months later, same thing.

Then same thing 9 months after that.

The black ants took over from there and I haven't seen a fire ant here in over 2 years.”
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So you are probably correct that it’s important to get the LFA population down to a point where the black ants can take over.  Avaunt/Provaunt works very well and until something as effective and easier to use comes along it is still the best choice and worth the effort, imo.

But as far as the fire ants reclaiming their territory, I haven’t seen it yet and it’s been 3 years now.