Huge Ant Hills

I have 3 ant hills that have developed into huge mounds over the years. While I don't mind sharing my property with the critters, the ants from these hills are taking over. In case the image below doesn't show their true size, these hills are probably 3 feet high and 3 feet across.

In general we're 100% organic. After scouring the web for relatively "safe" poisons which will not have long term impacts, I settled on Borax since the wisdom was that boron would kill the queen. I used most of a box of 20 Mule Team mixed with some sugar in various ratios including trying molasses. I set out containers for the ants to feed from. I sprinkled spirals on and around the mounds. In the end, I feel like I've only given them candy. No impact whatsoever and it's a year later.

I've considered getting out the backhoe and scooping out six foot deep holes, but hoping to avoid this - as I currently don't have any other use for the backhoe and it's a lot of work to put the implement on and off. Plus there are tree roots I don't want to disturb. But even considering the backhoe as an option, I feel like I Bill Murray in Caddyshack ready to get out the dynamite.

Any help or insight would be appreciated.

Looks like too much of a tinderbox in that area, but out in a lawn or short pasture I have taken about 2 cups gasoline and pour it on then let it soak about a minute.
Light it and let it burn out.

Works good for underground wasps too.

Lorne Martin wrote:Looks like too much of a tinderbox in that area, but out in a lawn or short pasture I have taken about 2 cups gasoline and pour it on then let it soak about a minute.
Light it and let it burn out.

Works good for underground wasps too.

I have considered this method but the unpredictability of it has worried me. The issue for fire is more underground with roots than above. We have yearly burn piles which we can safely mange. However, I likely can get a hose (or 4) to reach so it's something to consider in spring or fall when the ground is wet.

How toxic is gasoline in the ground over time and distance? I have a river which runs 200 feet (or less) away.

So, i find myself asking, What is the issue with the ants? are they eating your garden? are they eating your fruit trees?

I myself have been living with an issue which bugs me daily. It is bull frogs. they eat the local tree frogs and the snakes. The bull frogs are invasive and can cause issues with the tree frog populations. That being said. The amount of effort required to remove them is outstanding!! so, naturally nature has dealt with the abundance all on its own. Now otters come into the pond and eat their fill of bulls frogs!!! Overnight the pond becomes whisper quiet :) I imagine the otter gains a lot of reward from coming to the pond because there is this huge glut of food waiting for them to come and eat it!

So i find myself being fearful of the otters being killed by some of our community members :(

Anywoo.

I am trying to say maybe this is a non issue, one which requires none of your attention(other than the beautiful observation of this wonderful life), and it will be dealt with on its own. I imagine the ants are super helpful in a way which is not seen:)

I'd put a 6" to 12"wide circle of DE around the whole hill, then seriously dust the hill with DE. You could then pour DE down the center or pour a few buckets of soapy water down it. The runners would have to go through the DE circle... then they're toast.

jordan barton wrote:So, i find myself asking, What is the issue with the ants? are they eating your garden? are they eating your fruit trees?

I myself have been living with an issue which bugs me daily. It is bull frogs. they eat the local tree frogs and the snakes. The bull frogs are invasive and can cause issues with the tree frog populations. That being said. The amount of effort required to remove them is outstanding!! so, naturally nature has dealt with the abundance all on its own. Now otters come into the pond and eat their fill of bulls frogs!!! Overnight the pond becomes whisper quiet :) I imagine the otter gains a lot of reward from coming to the pond because there is this huge glut of food waiting for them to come and eat it!

So i find myself being fearful of the otters being killed by some of our community members :(

Anywoo.

I am trying to say maybe this is a non issue, one which requires none of your attention(other than the beautiful observation of this wonderful life), and it will be dealt with on its own. I imagine the ants are super helpful in a way which is not seen:)

I am aware the ants have their role in balancing the ecosystem, which is why for many years we've left it alone. But we can no longer use a large part of our property for recreation. For example, we once had a fire pit nearby which the family enjoyed and also played volleyball in the area. Not any more. We can't sit anywhere within 100 feet of these hills now and it adds up to acres.

Otters sound nice. We had beavers who started to chew down a whole forest. One morning I couldn't get to work because a beaver had felled a large tree right across my driveway. Living in harmony with our wildlife is a balancing act.

AngelinaGianna Maffeo wrote:I'd put a 6" to 12"wide circle of DE around the whole hill, then seriously dust the hill with DE. You could then pour DE down the center or pour a few buckets of soapy water down it. The runners would have to go through the DE circle... then they're toast.

Sounds like a possible temporary solution - meaning the ants won't travel outside the line without being killed. But from what I can tell, it won't kill the queen so as soon as it rains, it would have to be applied again. Am I missing something?

AngelinaGianna Maffeo wrote:I'd put a 6" to 12"wide circle of DE around the whole hill, then seriously dust the hill with DE. You could then pour DE down the center or pour a few buckets of soapy water down it. The runners would have to go through the DE circle... then they're toast.

This will do nothing. From the looks of it these are wood ants. They have tunnels underground from hill to hill.

I'm with you on this issue. We started with one hill and they are spreading like wildfire. We left them alone but now they are coming into the kid yard and they are really quite aggressive. I will not lie, we've poisoned. They laughed. They laugh at all of our attempts to stop them.

I keep trying to remember but I think someone on permies once suggested starting a massive fire on top of them and then putting a barrel over it to both control the fire and super heat the ground, killing the ants.

I think we'll be trying this next.

Pic of our ant hill the day after being poisoned. You can't see them great but there are zillions of ants just laughing at us as husband digs around trying to see if they died.

I called them wood ants which isn't right. Ours just use woody material to make their mounds and our kids call them wood ants which kind of sticks in the brain.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegheny_mound_ant

elle sagenev wrote:I'm with you on this issue. We started with one hill and they are spreading like wildfire. We left them alone but now they are coming into the kid yard and they are really quite aggressive. I will not lie, we've poisoned. They laughed. They laugh at all of our attempts to stop them.

I keep trying to remember but I think someone on permies once suggested starting a massive fire on top of them and then putting a barrel over it to both control the fire and super heat the ground, killing the ants.

I think we'll be trying this next.

Pic of our ant hill the day after being poisoned. You can't see them great but there are zillions of ants just laughing at us as husband digs around trying to see if they died.

I know that feeling of my efforts being futile. I expected after feeding them a whole box of borax that something would change. They enjoyed the sugar and kept on as if nothing was different.

Please let me know how the bonfire goes.

I have that type of ant on my KY ridgetop, and just leave them be down on the sloping woods below the yard.  When they try moving into the yard, I do the gasoline method.  It doesn't take much to burn out the nest.  I'd first pull away some of the dry duff you have on yours.  Wait a while for the chaos you create to calm down.  Then wait briefly for the liquid to trickle down some ways into the tunnels and the fumes to fill the side tunnels.  The fire is very satisfying and lasts longer than you would expect.  It burns completely, so there is no worry about residual contamination.  Don't overdo the gasoline - perhaps a cup to begin, and with that much, stand back!  You can always do it again.

When they tried building right next to the pond and under the pond liner, I used boric acid, spread right over the entry holes.  They track it into the nest and it gets consumed.  No need to add sugar.  It's difficult to find large containers of boric acid anymore.  Try the hardware store.  Don't buy the 4 oz. bottle for $7.  You can buy it much cheaper elsewhere online.

ETA info I found from a pest control firm:

Boric acid is most often used in pesticides, and can be found in tablet form, liquid form, powder form and in various types of traps. It kills insects by absorbing into them, poisoning their stomachs, affecting their metabolism and abrading their exoskeletons. It’s far more likely to kill pests than borax is, due to its finer grain, which is harder for pests to detect and easier for them to ingest. When pests come into contact with it, whether through a trap or through walking across it a thin layer of it, it sticks to them, and they ingest it while cleaning themselves.

I only kill ants that want to bother me.  For many years I have used vinegar.  For outside when they decide they like my pathways, I pour the vinegar right into the mound.  They really do not like vinegar.

I also use it when they seem to like my kitchen.  I fill a spray bottle with 50/50 water to vinegar and use this to clean my counter tops.  Every now and then I would find dead ants all over my counter top so I know it works.

We have the imported fire ant in my area and they are fierce.  They attack when your near their nest, they survive floods, eat the blossoms off okra plant and kill everything they can catch.
 The only control we have had success with are the beneficial nematodes (SF - I think).  In a couple of dies they are all gone.   I ordered them to control pin-worms in tomatoes and  wire-worms in sweet potatoes; but to my amazement found they had killed nearby fire ant mounds.  Now it's all I use for them.