Knowledgebase
Red ants #878790
Asked July 25, 2024, 5:40 PM EDT
Hello,
We have a huge red ant pile by our driveway. I have tried making them relocate by sprinkling diatomaceous earth around the pile but they just won't go away. It keeps getting larger and larger and they are not nice!!! They have stung my daughter's dog while she visited and they have also stung our granddaughter. I try my best to avoid them but they are starting also to march into our courtyard and get near our doorway.
I don't use insecticides if I can help it. Further, I want to make sure I am not upsetting an ecosystem if I kill them.
What ideas do you all have, if any?
Chaffee County Colorado
Expert Response
Hi Tia,
I have a couple of fact sheets and some suggestions.
1401 – Ants – PlantTalk Colorado (colostate.edu) offers instructions on mixing boric acid and sugar for the ants to take back into their colonies.
When I worked on a certified organic farm in Missouri with Japanese pavement ants, we poured boiling water down the holes for a treatment without any residue. We certainly had to repeat it multiple times, but we did have slow success.
I realize your ant issue is outdoors, but the factsheet Ants in the Home - 5.518 - Extension (colostate.edu) lists several treatments, including the boric acid and commercially available baits, boiling water and insecticides for managing ants. If you decide to use that tool, please follow all rules closely, and remember that the label is the law.
Best of luck!
Monica
