NATURAL WAY TO KILL FIRE ANTS

Yesterday I needed a natural way to kill fire ants, preferably without the use of chemicals. After all the rain I could look out over the yard and see ant mounds everywhere! Before you recommend that I pick up some fire ant poison at the discount store I feel that I should remind you that I have four little girls who play in this same yard where those mounds have popped up like mushrooms and I don't like the idea of their running through chemical pesticide residue in their bare feet.

I knew from the start that their extermination would be a delicate balancing act. Fire ant stings could be deadly to my youngest and I will protect her at all cost but I don't want my babies exposed to pesticides in order to do so. What I needed was a fire ant mound destroyer that would leave no poisonous residue once the job was done. Because not only have they built mounds out in the yard but there are piles of ant dirt right next to the patio where we spend a lot of time as a family. These suckers have to go and if at all possible I was determined to make it happen using the most natural means available to me.


In my search of a natural way to kill fire ants, I came across some suggestions that seemed reasonable and some...not so much. And then there was one that looked like it would be downright fun! Would you care to guess which method I decided to try first? Being such a fan of family fun and all, you just had to know I'd choose the lighthearted way of bug extermination.

I'm going to use baking soda and vinegar to kill these red devil fire ants.

A NATURAL WAY TO KILL FIRE ANTS


The instructions I found said to pour baking soda all over the mound and poke as much as possible deep into the mound using a stick. EXTREME CAUTION is necessary to avoid attacking ants while you are poking soda into their mound. In fact, I recommend wearing tall, rubber boots for protection. I tried a skinny, wooden dowel rod first but ended up using my backup which was a straightened wire coat hanger but your experience may vary depending on your soil.

After the baking soda was in place the next step was to pour a gallon of vinegar over the mound making sure that it comes into contact with the soda to facilitate the desired reaction. That mound started to crackle and fizz like crazy. I saw dead fire ants everywhere. It seems that your elementary school science project would have done better to educate us on a natural way to kill fire ants without chemicals rather than be just a lame volcano spewing on the table for a minute. Did this kill the fire ant queen or will the mounds pop back up again?

Return to Family Recipes, Babies and Parenting Issues to find out!

Natural Pesticide Remedies for Your Garden

Wishful thinking tells me that we may have an early spring. I thought this year I’d look for natural pesticide remedies for your garden before we actually need the natural fly and bug repellent and before the caterpillars start chomping on those tasty green leaves in your vegetable garden.

The first of the natural garden solutions on my list is a smelly one. Apparently gardeners in the old days believed that insects had the same sense of smell that we enjoy and are perhaps naturally repelled by stuff that stinks just like humans.

As there should be no environmental dangers or health issues involved, you may want to give this cheap and easy (and hopefully harmless to humans) natural pesticide a shot. Mind you that I’m not giving any guarantees as I’m forwarding recipes for natural bug killers or repellents from old gardening journals filled with tips I have not experimented with personally. If you see that any of the natural pesticide remedies for your garden work or for that matter if they are useless, would you please report back and leave your opinions on its efficacy?

This natural garden solution makes use of the potato plant. The information in this handwritten journal of old, natural gardening tips states that the juice is of great value as a bug and insect killer. It’s certainly easy to brew up a batch. All you have to do is:

• Cover the leaves and stems of the potato plant in enough water to cover, bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer for about 30 minutes.
• Allow the liquid to cool and then fill the container of your garden sprayer with your homemade natural pesticide and spray on the garden plants or flowers that you want to protect from green and black flies, caterpillars and gnats that are enemies to your flower and vegetable garden.

With any luck and a green thumb, you should have less bugs and a bumper crop of produce.

There is a note that there will be a lingering odor (I’m thinking a rotten potato smell) that will have no detrimental effects on the growth or production of the plants. The journal further states that this is one of the best natural pesticide remedies for your garden and that the effects are long lasting.

I’m always in the market for cheap, natural garden solutions that kill those pesky bugs so let us know how you come out with this one.

Return to Oooh Baby Baby Natural Parenting and Environmental Issues

NATURAL PESTICIDES - GREEN PEST CONTROL for the HOME

As a homeowner and parent who has an intense dislike for bugs I’m interested in natural pesticides. My youngest daughter has breathing issues and I’m not fond of exposing the rest of the family to unnecessary chemicals so common poisons are not an option. It’s my opinion that the bugs and rodents may be no more dangerous than toxic solutions commonly used to control them.

I have been doing my homework on how to set up deterrents for the inevitable invasion of bugs and rodents that happens each and every year. The first cool snap we have each fall has historically turned my home into the safe haven of choice for wolf spiders, roaches and the occasional mouse.

While searching for solutions I was surprised to find that many natural bug control remedies are not that natural at all. Mopping with borax and enzyme cleaners was not what I was searching for. My favorite roach control remedy that I plan to try involves some detective work but if it works, it might eliminate the need to sprinkle baking powder or whipping up recipes for roach bait. Sticky traps work well for spiders, but if the picture that I included on this page is any indicator, spiders might be the perfect natural pesticide where bugs and mosquitoes are concerned. Once the bugs are all eaten for dinner, the giant spiders should leave on their own, right?