# Fire ants



## amyhill (Feb 12, 2013)

There may be a thread on here already but I'm not able to locate it. What can I use to treat fire ants that isn't harmful to my hens? It's not a hill, just a few 'stragglers'. But the seem to love getting in my PDZ. This hasn't been too concerning but this morning, I found a few crawling through the nesting material.  Don't want them to get to the girls so I need advice. Thanks!


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

You might try lacing your nest boxes with Pyrethrin powder...it's all natural and biodegradable, isn't toxic to the birds and acts both as an insecticide and a repellent. 

I use cedar chips in my nesting material..that might be helpful as well.


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## amyhill (Feb 12, 2013)

I use pine chips...was told cedar fumes were toxic... But will def try the other. I do use diatomaceous earth but they still come. Thanks!


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## kjohnstone (Mar 30, 2013)

(pyrethrin is naturally occuring in chrysanthemums)


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## amyhill (Feb 12, 2013)

Do I get it at the feed store???


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## kjohnstone (Mar 30, 2013)

Try garden supply


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## kjohnstone (Mar 30, 2013)

I might be remembering that fire ants are hard to kill with pesticides...? If so, try a layer of DE under and around the nesting boxes (block whatever path the ants are using to get there)


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## kjohnstone (Mar 30, 2013)

Also move the PDZ (I don't know what that is) away from the chickens.


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## bcfox26 (Jul 11, 2013)

kjohnstone said:


> Also move the PDZ (I don't know what that is) away from the chickens.


Pdz is used in horse stalls to remove the ammonia smell.

http://www.sweetpdz.com/


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## amyhill (Feb 12, 2013)

I use the PDZ under the roosts and scoop out poop with a kitty litter scoop. Soooo easy to maintain and I'm not wasting chips by throwing them out every week. I'll try more DE under the chips first. If that doesn't work within a week, I'll try to find pyrethrum


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## kjohnstone (Mar 30, 2013)

Try using Deep Litter method, best posts on that here are by Bee, stink reduction and fly control seem to be a side benefit, there has been a lot of discussion of that here! (probably enhanced with Fermented Feed, also posted about at great length here)


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## ellis36 (Mar 25, 2013)

amyhill said:


> There may be a thread on here already but I'm not able to locate it. What can I use to treat fire ants that isn't harmful to my hens? It's not a hill, just a few 'stragglers'. But the seem to love getting in my PDZ. This hasn't been too concerning but this morning, I found a few crawling through the nesting material. Don't want them to get to the girls so I need advice. Thanks!


If they are really fire ants, not the common ordinary ant, there is probably a hill somewhere close by. Inspect closely to see if you can find a line of them coming in from somewhere, then follow them back to the source. Killing the individual ant is fruitless. The queen has to be killed to kill the mound.
Permethrin is what kills them. The nest can be as deep as two/three feet.Buy the 10% concentrate of Pemethrin, mix no more than one ounce per gallon of water and, depending on the size of the mound, pour from a pint to a quart into the hole in the center of the dirt that makes the mound. Permethrin in this concentration is sold at Tractor Supply and some farm supply stores. Fire ants will kill baby chicks as well as the chicks of any wild birds that nest on the ground.


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## n8gnf (Oct 1, 2013)

I have used Dawn detergent mixed with water ( enough Dawn to color the water) pour it on the hill, kills them doesn't just make them move.


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## ChickenAdmin (Jun 4, 2012)

I poured 12 Team of Mule on mine and it's gone now. Ants hate the borax.


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