Fire Ant Treatments in the Pastures?

[fergusnc]

I am just starting my research so checking in here too. Anyone treat in their pastures and what knowledge do you have to share? I have tried the diatomaceous earth with little luck, boiling water with slightly more luck but that is a LOT of trips out with the kettle!
I know there are spot treatments and broadcast spreading...and wonder how people manage keeping horses off/away most easily with certain products versus others? I worry about the poisons with the animals too.
Any success stories?

[Rockabilly]

I actually worry mine to death, but I have heard of people getting a shovel and picking up a fire ant hill and putting it on another fire ant hill. Evidently it drives them crazy.

[texsuze]

IMHO, DE is worthless for nuking fire ants, and for most other applications. Your best bet is to consult your county ag extension agent, or google Texas A&M AgriLife Extension and find some links to fire ant treatments. There are a number of products available, but their applications vary when it comes to lawn vs pasture vs animal housing, etc. and when animals can be re-introduced into treated areas. There are pesticides which need to be watered in after application, too, which I find too labor-intensive. I stick with Amdro, or some of the spinosad baits.

I always treat visible mounds rather than broadcasting (and I don't mean TV ). Mainly because with broadcasting, you'll be nuking the "good" ants (yes, there are good ants), and will be using lots of pesticide and $, too. In addition, by broadcasting the bait/pesticide you might not always be able to tell if it is effective. By contrast, treating individual mounds gives you a chance to see if your agent has worked, since you'll usually be able to see the mound 'die' (gets crumbly-looking). And with individual mound treatment, you are only nuking fire ants.

The little buggers are so prevalent around here that I only do mound treatments in critical areas (near the house, near barn where chooks cannot get to bait, etc). I could spend a fortune treating the rest of our acreage. I don't treat pastures, and my oldster, thankfully, has only come back with some type of insect bites (presumably fire ants) maybe once every couple of years because he rolled. YMMV.