Tortoise-Safe Ant Control?

[October]

In our neighborhood, we've got those little bitty ants - the ones that supposedly have underground hives stretching for blocks.

Morla has almost free run of the yard, but so do my kids and my garden. I'd normally throw down some Amdro, but I don't think it's safe for tortoises. The ants don't bother her, but holy crap do they bother the rest of us. What are some tort-safe ways to control them?

Thanks in advance!

 

[dmmj]

I use chalk ( not the best solution if it rains) and boric acid mix with something sweet so they take it back and kill the nest. You have to make the boric acid/sweet mixture very weak if you make it to strong it will kill the ants before they make it home, I use boric acid and honey, they sell a mixture of boric acid and something sweet premixed in most home improvement stores but it is expensive,

 

[Yvonne G]

Several Home-made Ant Remedies

1 – Boric Acid
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon of Boric Acid, 1 tsp of Sugar, 4 oz water, Cotton Balls.
Mix Boric Acid and Sugar in a bowl. This can be poured over a cotton wad in
a small dish or bottle cap. Keep this from drying out for continued
effectiveness. Place Cotton balls in path of Ants. If the ants are drawn to sugar, if you make a solution of boric acid and sugar, not too much boric acid initially, the ants will eat it up take it to their young and feed it to them. This method will kill the entire nest in about two weeks. The solution should initially be weak because you don't want them to taste the boric acid and you don't want to kill the ants before they feed the rest of the nest. If they are protein eating ants mix the boric acid in broth.

2 – Another Boric Acid

>> 1 teaspoon boric acid (available at any drug store,, $2.99 for 4 oz) 6 tablespoons sugar
>> 2 cups water
>> mix together in a jar till all dissolved,, label and store safely.
>>Soak a few cotton balls with it, then put them in a small, covered plastic >container (margarine or <?>) with a few small openings in it for the ants to >get in, (I also put a brick on top so other curious creatures could not get >in)and then freshen it 1-2 times a week.
>> This is a slow acting 1 percent solution to get them to take some back to
>> the nest and even feed the queen :>
>>after a few weeks changing to a 1/2 percent solution should keep them gone.

3 - bacon grease
....in a margarine tub which is sunk into the ground level. The ants here can smell animal fat from what seems like a mile away...Around the outside of the margarine tub I place a big circle of boric acid...and cover it with a rock. The ants have to walk through the boric acid to get to the bacon grease, then back through it on the way out. If they get back to the nest carrying it on their legs, it kills whatever it comes into contact with. We have 4or 5 species of ants here...two of which are lethal!

4 - Found this in Jerry Bakers stuff
Ant Ambrosia
4-5 tbsp. of cornmeal
3 tbsp. of bacon grease
3 tbsp. of baking powder
3 packages of baker's yeast

Mix the cornmeal and bacon grease into a paste, then add the baking powder and yeast. Dab the gooey mix on the sides of jar lids, and set them near the anthills. The pesky critters will love it to death!!""


5 - If you can't find Everclear, liquefy orange peels and pour it around the ant hills. You may get fruit flies, but you won't have any trouble with ants!

6 - I have a friend that put a circle of diatomaceous earth around her aviaries and
effectively kept the ants out that way. She also uses it to directly attack any hills in the area.

7 - I believe that the "new age chalk" is a combination of diatomaceous earth and boric acid. Boric acid is the major component in "Roach Proof" and is a fairly benign and very effective means of insect control.

8 - Amdro is another effective treatment, but it is an actual poison, but safer than others. Both Amdro and Logic are baits that the ants pick up and take into the mound so that the queen eats it.

 

[okie girl]

Instant grits also works, or so a friend told me.
I am going to try this in the am in another part of the yard.

grits in an old butter/yogurt container with a few small holes.

 

[October]

8 - Amdro is another effective treatment, but it is an actual poison, but safer than others. Both Amdro and Logic are baits that the ants pick up and take into the mound so that the queen eats it.

Would I be okay to use Amdro then? I know it's super effective for these ants, but I don't want to use it if my Russian will eat it. She was a super large space so it wont be in her face, but with the color and all, I worry.

And does DE work for ants? I use it to keep the creepy crawlies IN my composter and not everywhere else, but have never bothered with ants. I guess it doesn't hurt to try, eh?

---

And thank you for all the suggestions. I saved them to a file for future use.

 

[DixieParadise]

Diatomaceous Earth safely kills ants and many crawling insects. Should be safe to use around your tort...just gets dusty, so be careful.

 

[lynnedit]

Tom's remedy: Terro Liquid Ant Baits. He is right, they work great (contain borax). Safe, and easy to use.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Ant-Solution#axzz1PZH67Eq5

 

[Yvonne G]

Amdro is safe if you place it somewhere that the tortoises can't reach it.

 

[Neal]

Another option to the above - The "bug man". I just had my bug guy spray my house, and had him use the spray can in the backyard. He used a low toxicity mixture that won't do much for scorpions or crickets probably, but it took care of the ants. We had tons inside and out, since he was here about 5 days ago I have not seen a single one anywhere. I could get you his number if you would like?