Fire ants on bell pepper plants. Problem? Also another ant question.

richvide0 Active member

70POSTS

9 years ago

I've discovered tons of fire ants on my bell pepper plants recently. I've been spraying a concoction of garlic, lemon and water on them. It hasn't helped so far. There are a lot of black eggs under the leaves. Today a few did a number on my arm while I was planting another plant.

Today I Googled "fire ants on pepper plants" and found that they will "farm" aphids to eat the "honeydew" coming out of them. I'm not sure that's what is going on here or if the eggs I've viewed are aphid eggs or not.

Does anyone have any experience with this?

Aside from fire ants we have these other tiny ants who enjoy coming through any crevice they can into the house. They seem to drop tiny specks of something (poop?, wood?). Could they be a type of carpenter ant? For some reason they like traveling to our spotless white sink every morning. I think they like the color white. Should I be concerned about these buggers regarding being termite-like?

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ReyP ViP

5509POSTS

9 years ago

Try the borax and honey mix in a jar with small holes in the lid. They will eat the mixture and die. Not too heavy on the borax or they will die before carrying it to the hive, you need kill the queen.

If you are brave you can stir the nest and poor some of the mixture in. Jar prevents other bugs and birds from eating it.

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WarnerW Serial expat

314POSTS

9 years ago

Can't really help with the fire ants. Carpenter ants are pretty sizable, so I doubt that's what they are. They also would live within your walls (assuming wood construction) and eat the studs, so you probably wouidn't see them inside.

I'm not a fan of natural herbicides -- they really don't work well. For ants I'd recommend Sevin. It's available as powder or liquid spray, works well, and is (as these things go) safe to use. I also just applied some Amdro ant spray at my rental property. Attach to a garden hose and spray. Kills them in the yard, prevents them from getting into the house. I bought it at Lowes, but it may also be available at Wal-Mart, Home Depot....

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Mrkpytn Serial expat

373POSTS

9 years ago

If you want to avoid poison you might want to try dusting the plants and ground with diatomaceous earth. Under a microscope this mineral has razor sharp edges and it cuts the skin of the ant and they die of dehydration.

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Mrkpytn Serial expat

373POSTS

9 years ago

The diatomaceous earth would just affect the surface ants, etc. and maybe the amdro in combination would eradicate the nest and not subject the vegetable to poison.

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richvide0 Active member

70POSTS

9 years ago

Sitka wrote:
I hate fire ants! The sting can really hurt and I know a woman in Texas who had to be hospitalized from fire ant bites. You got to use the bait/poison that they take to the nest and kill the queen - only way to really get ride of them. The other ants (very small?) are likely sugar ants.

Maybe you should call an exterminator. Lots of critters in the tropics - I have a guy treat the house about once a month.

I had to go to a hospital in Argentina after kneeling on a fire-ant hill. Needless to say I'm very wary of them.

Sitka Serial expat

953POSTS

9 years ago

Yea, I got nailed in Texas a few times, but didn't need medical help, but if you have allergy or get several bites it could be life threatening. We had a huge nest at a underground utility box, must have been several feet around. We used a granular pesticide - brown in color,( don't remember the name) it worked well, but took a day or two to work.

The fire ant invasion is gradually moving north. Wonder how far it will progress?

ReyP ViP

5509POSTS

9 years ago

Mrkpytn wrote:
If you want to avoid poison you might want to try dusting the plants and ground with diatomaceous earth. Under a microscope this mineral has razor sharp edges and it cuts the skin of the ant and they die of dehydration.

I get it in big 20 lb bags for my pool filter. Filters the water to 20 microns.

Bo 77 Member

16POSTS

9 years ago

#10

I agree, DE works on everything.
Years ago, we had ticks infestation at home. DE worked excellent. And you don't have to worry about poisoning yourself. Actually, it's recommended to take little bit to clean yourself from parasites. I never used it, but at least I never stressed that my dog would lick it and die.

Just buy eatable DE, no pool version.

Bo 77 Member

16POSTS

9 years ago

#11

Rey I think you talking about DE for pools, there's another DE which is not poison for human body or animals. I don't know exactly but I know long stores were selling 2 versions of DE?

ReyP ViP

5509POSTS

9 years ago

#12

Only one i seen is for pools and aquariums, leaves the water what i call polished.
I could kill several acres worth with 1 20 pound bag that cost me $25.00
Probably works good on comejen

I heard WD40 good to spray inside the comejen nest

Bo 77 Member

16POSTS

9 years ago

#13

Rey, I just checked DE. Yes, there are 2 different grades, one is pool grade DE and one is food grade DE, food grade is used for pest and is edible, pool grade is used for pool filters and is not edible.

ReyP ViP

5509POSTS

9 years ago

#14

I believe you. I just never heard of edible one. Cool

Mrkpytn Serial expat

373POSTS

9 years ago

#15

My friend buys and eats food grade DE. It helps with joints. There are also different species of fire ants. The ones that I encounter on my PR farm bite randomly. The ones we had in Florida are much more aggressive. They climb up your legs and send out a signal and they all bite at the same time. Extremely aggressive and bite for a long time. I would use amdro for large nests and plant the vegetables somewhere else.

Sitka Serial expat

953POSTS

9 years ago

#16

I have been told that if you want to avoid pesticides, boiling water into the nest works.

But if I have to deal with fire ants, I go right to the nuclear option.

ReyP ViP

5509POSTS

9 years ago

#17

Sitka wrote:
I have been told that if you want to avoid pesticides, boiling water into the nest works.

But if I have to deal with fire ants, I go right to the nuclear option.

Maybe north korea can lend you a few

Bo 77 Member

16POSTS

9 years ago

#18

Mrkpytn, I read about food grade DE, It should work as a remedy for many issues. Personally, I never tried it, maybe I will.;-)

Sitka, we have aggressive fire ants here in Houston too. Very nasty, I remember, after Ike I got some nest on the backyard. Found out that I have fire ants the bad way. :-) I was next to the nest, not realizing, they attack me, I stripped outside and ran to the shower right away. 30 seconds , not more and I had maybe like 20 bites from them. Scars for 2 years.
We used boiling water with salt on ants, but It was long time ago. My parents did that, when we had ants in our mountain house. We used it on this big mountain ants, and I believe it worked.

Mrkpytn Serial expat

373POSTS

9 years ago

#19

I think their nest can be very deep and to reach the queen I think only something like amdro can do that.

Sitka Serial expat

953POSTS

8 years ago

#20

My experience with fire ants was in League City, Texas. They are bad, and can put you in the hospital with several bites.

The only way to wipe out the colony is to take out the queen, this requires poison that they carry back to the nest.

We had carpenter ants in our CT home. They are also a serious problem. I hired an exterminator for that one as it requires a license from the state to use the chemicals necessary.

I have not run into any fire ants in PR, but I asume they are on the island.

ReyP ViP

5509POSTS

8 years ago

#21

Borax mixed with powder sugar will be carried back k to the queen and growing larva. To get rid of workers later, mix the borax into a liquid like honey. Use a jar with a small hole so birds will not be able to get to it and eat the stuff. Place it along the trails the ants use.

GuestPoster550 Guest

0POSTS

8 years ago

#22

Yes they certainly are. I don't know about other parts of the island, but in Aguadilla any time you were walking in the grass, you had to mind your step because there are fire ant hills everywhere.

Luckily, as said above, they seem to be less aggressive than those in the states. I stepped on one hill barefoot and only got bit a few times, despite being covered in the ants.

Spencerazac Contributor

157POSTS

8 years ago

#23

I poured gasoline on the mounds let it soak and then lit it on fire, That seem to kill them all, if I use poison, they usually just move over about two or 3 feet, but the gas seems to burn them out

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GregoryMondragon New member

3POSTS

8 years ago

#24

There are fire ants in our area. Their bite is very dangerous. Fire ants can bite and produce painful, red bumps. But they are very little bit in our house. My friends stay in Connecticut. She was having bundles of Ants in her house that too not only in one place. They were being spread in many places. She was very frustrated seeing this, so she called up Tick Exterminator Fairfield County CT(yalepest.com). She took help of them to Pesticide her home. Now it has been almost 6 months, she is not facing any problem.

Sitka Serial expat

953POSTS

8 years ago

#25

We had fire ants in our Texas home. The best remidy is poison that they take back into the nest and fills the queen.

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adlin20 ViP

1057POSTS

8 years ago

#26

You want to control thrm, but not eliminate them completely from your property. They eat and control termites. A pesticide guy tolk us to control them but keep some nest away from the house to take care of termites.

mac00677 Serial expat

380POSTS

8 years ago

#27

I've been bitten several times, as I rarely wear shoes. My lawn is about an acre, and I mow & trim barefoot... as crazy as that may sound. I haven't had any problems, other than being bitten. I generally take a shower immediately after an "accident" with the ants, and scrub bitten areas with a cleaning brush, that eliminates the red/puss "bumps". The DE (edible and non-edible) I've heard of, and thought of taking, but I've not yet used it... I'll have to revisit the thought. I don't know where to find it locally, but ebay has it, of course.

ReyP ViP

5509POSTS

8 years ago

#28

mac00677 wrote:
I've been bitten several times, as I rarely wear shoes. My lawn is about an acre, and I mow & trim barefoot... as crazy as that may sound. I haven't had any problems, other than being bitten. I generally take a shower immediately after an "accident" with the ants, and scrub bitten areas with a cleaning brush, that eliminates the red/puss "bumps". The DE (edible and non-edible) I've heard of, and thought of taking, but I've not yet used it... I'll have to revisit the thought. I don't know where to find it locally, but ebay has it, of course.

For the ants, non-edible is fine, mix with powder sugar, put it in a container with a lid and small holes so they can get in but not birds and other animals. Put the jar in their trails so they find it easy and let them carry it to the colony. But a mix of borax and powder sugar is better as it is poison to them and the queen and larva which will eliminate the colony since the workers dont live long.

Borax poisons them, DE scratches their carapace and lets infections set in.

ellenbunch New member

4POSTS

8 years ago

#29

Try getting some neem oil, making a dilution with water, and spraying your pepper plants in the very early morning or late evening (so you don't burn the leaves of your plant). It should help. Also look into planting Nasturtiums. They are an attractor plant for aphids. The aphids will be drawn to the nasturtium and hopefully will save your peppers. Thus, getting rid of some of the fire ants.