There was an article at http://fireant.tamu.edu/ recently where they debunked a new myth that is spreading on how to kill fire ants. Somehow it got spread across the internet, where everything is true right? Then it got picked up by news outlets and spread even more, all without a credible source or any testing of any kind.  The claim…pouring club soda over a fire ant mound will eliminate the entire colony, including the queen, in 48 hours.

Ok, this one has already been debunked but it’s still included here for comedic purposes. Below are three common misconceptions on how to get rid of fire ants.  

Club Soda

• The carbon dioxide in the soda is supposed to choke out all the oxygen and suffocate the ants in the colony, including the queen.
• If you’re lucky, you might drown a few ants with this trick, but otherwise you will achieve nothing more than some “impressive bubbling action.”
• You’ll actually kill more ants with this one than club soda between drowning a few and the actual soap taking a few out as well.
• The soap will actually get you some mortality but its effects are very short lived and will have to be repeated many times.  Not really worth the effort if you ask me.
• This theory suggests that fire ants will take in the rice, eat it, and die when their stomachs explode from the expanding rice.
• The problem is you have to trick the ants into eating the rice with a different ingredient, they are not naturally attracted to foods that will kill them.
• Finding the right way to make this work is not worth the effort when extremely effective baits are available. 
  

Soapy Water

• You’ll actually kill more ants with this one than club soda between drowning a few and the actual soap taking a few out as well.
• The soap will actually get you some mortality but its effects are very short lived and will have to be repeated many times. Not really worth the effort if you ask me.

Rice

• This theory suggests that fire ants will take in the rice, eat it, and die when their stomachs explode from the expanding rice.
• The problem is you have to trick the ants into eating the rice with a different ingredient, they are not naturally attracted to foods that will kill them.
• Finding the right way to make this work is not worth the effort when extremely effective baits are available.

We’ve written about a couple of these as well as other theories for natural and organic pest control in The Truth About Natural, Organic, or Green Pest Control. As previously mentioned, baits have been consistently proven to be the best form of fire ant control. It’s also been proven that broadcast treatments are more effective than individual mound treatments. Fire ants can forage several hundred feet away from the mound so they’ll pick up bait from a large area.

Lastly, please don’t pour gasoline on an ant pile and start a mini bonfire. Granted, you’ll probably kill the mound, but it’s never a great idea to pour gasoline in the ground. That’s all the Dr. Suess we have for this week.

If you need help with your fire ant control, call Venus Pest Company and ask us about the Texas 2-Step Program.