I have a question.
I just built a new paver deck in my back yard. I put a gas fire pit in the middle of it and my wife and I have been sitting out back at night.
Now I an being bit by what look like ants and want to get rid of them. What is everyone using around their yard and decks to get rid of ants and other biting bugs.
I am trying not to spray any bug spray the paver deck itself.
Thanks

Over & Out seems to work well when done per the instructions.
Reminds me I need to do my yard. Have noticed a few anthills last time I mowed.

I get Ant Killer from the local DIY fertilizer and pest control store. Works great on the fire ants down here, it's granular and you can spread it easily.

DIY Pest and Lawn Google

ID the ants first. Fire ants need a special kind of treatment to control.

I do the 2-step process:

orthene on mound

Bifenthrin 0.2% granules broadcast spread over entire lawn. Lots of products on market so you’ll have choices at your local nursery or big box store. Some are only 0.12% instead of 0.2%.

Liquid dawn used in a hose end sprayer works very well on the entire yard.
Mix 1/4 of the container with dawn,then fill with water ,attach to hose and wash yard .my setting on my sprayer is # 4
This method gets rid of ants, flees ,sand flees and the no-see-m biting thingys.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
I do the 2-step process:

orthene on mound

Bifenthrin 0.2% granules broadcast spread over entire lawn. Lots of products on market so you’ll have choices at your local nursery or big box store. Some are only 0.12% instead of 0.2%.

Do you have a local source for the Bifenthrin?
Does it need to be watered-in after application?

A good friend who works for a local pest control company recommended Advion to me a few years ago. I bought some of the tubes and found it worked as promised.

The ants eat the gel, take it back to their compatriots, and it kills the whole colony.

The advion I had purchased came in injectable tubes that you squeeze along the "ant trail". I could not find the exact one I purchased from Amazon but here is a link to one I just found on their site. You might have more luck than I did finding it locally as the only place I found it at that time was Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Advion-...TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

Recently I had the ant issue. I scrubbed with ammonia to remove the chemical tracks but vinegar would have worked. Then treated the perimeter with HD stuff. No more ants.

Terro is your friend for getting rid of ants, etc. Their stuff works well. I was in Ace Hardware staring at the offerings trying to figure out what to buy after tiny ants appeared out of nowhere years ago and a local woman walking by, saw my confused look and said Terro drops was the generally accepted way to go. She was right and they were gone in a couple days.

He's in FL so good chance Fire Ants are in the area. The best way to control them is to treat the mounds, and as was said apply proper insecticide on a regular basis.

Otherwise lighting the fire pit with a flame thrower and toasting the paver area before use is your only solution...!

I've also had good results with Terro. Don't know if it's an Ace Hardware brand or not, but that was where I found it. One of the employees recommended it over the other options they had.

Taurus sc generic version of Termidore.

https://store.doyourownpestcon...aurus-sc-insecticide

I use Bifen I/T. You can get it under that name or similar at tractor supply for 30bucks....or amazon will bring it to you. I needs to be watered down and sprayed. I have used it for over a decade even when Tommy was a baby and crawled.

When I find a mound I spray three feet around it to get the guys out foraging and then use about half a gallon on the mound if it’s a big fire ant mound.

It has never failed me. I spray the house three times a years and the yard at the same time. It doesn’t stain.

Kill the hill is rarely a complete solution. A broader approach is in order, like a couple members above have suggested to treat the entire area. Thing is... if the queen ant senses a problem with the health of the hill she will send out queens to start new colonies to ensure survival. I saw that in my own yard multiple times. Kill one hill and 2 more pop up nearby in a couple weeks.

Terro at one time, many years ago was good, now it is just Borax and while it works fairly well you can make it yourself.

As I mentioned earlier you are looking for a treatment without knowing your enemy. Fire Ants cannot be eradicated and need an entirely different approach. Mirex, which was a bait worked pretty well until they took it off the market. I urge you to find out what you are dealing with.

i would just buy a $12 jug and wand of home defense. Stuff works good. Simple to apply and no more unwanted bug where you don't want them. Been very effective for me. And it lasts a good long while.

Terro traps have always worked well for us. They take the bait back to the nest and after a few days they are all gone and don't come back.

diatomaceous earth - a little dusty but will kill all exoskeleton bugs in 48 hours (including beneficial nematodes).

I have found the granular stuff to work much better than liquid.

I use this stuff from Bayer:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Bi...les-700288/100658969

Dispense using a hand-held fertilizer dispenser like this:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/1-...lt-71060-1/311343558

I put that stuff on the lawn, around the perimeter of the house, along the fence line, etc.

Works really well. I apply every 2 to 3 weeks during the summer months and keeps the yard pretty much ant-free. Also keeps crane flies from eating your lawn.