Ouch! I've got fire ants.

[chelaque liberal]

Does anyone know how to deal with them?

I moved to this property in GA in October. I had hoped to put in a small vegetable garden. Yesterday, while doing some yard work I was attacked. My right leg looks like I have Chicken Pox and it burns like crazy. Now I'm worried that I won't be able to ge rid of them without poison, which I don't want to use around any food.

Any advice?

[NMDemDist2]

1. boiling water

several applications

get your kettle going and pour it down the main hole several days in a row

if it's a really big colony have another pot ready to hit the other escape hatches

here's a link for you too

http://www.fireant.net/

http://www.dirtdoctor.com/view_question.php?id=123

[Imalittleteapot]

2. Got ants? AZDem's advise is excellent. I've boiled fireants.

It works. The ants remaining, if any, may move to another location though. Just repeat the process.

[NMDemDist2]

3. yes, you may have to chase them a ways

my yard got em from my neighbor's yard

I chased em back :evilgrin:

[chelaque liberal]

4. Thank you , those are both good websites.

I don't know how I missed them.

Fire ants are something I never even thought about before. What I learned yesterday was alarming. They can kill small animals and people who are allergic. They are so tiny you don't feel them walking on you and aren't aware they are there until they start to bite. I was able to strip and shower almost immediately because I was next to my house, but a person with limited mobility or in a field would have been defenseless. I went back to find them and really had to focus to be able to see them moving under the leaves.

[BOSSHOG]

5. If you have

multiple mounds put a shovelfull from one mound into another. They will kill each other. Some say this does not work. It works for me everytime. Its an ongoing chore.

[China_cat]

6. I've forgotten the name of it

but there's a nematode meant to eat fleas in the soil. It works...it has one beautiful side effect; it also gets rid of fire ants.

But, it you have fire ants next to your house or other wood building, it's a tossup as to whether to leave them or not. If you've got fire ants, you don't have termites.