Advice needed. Best practices fighting off Little Fire Ants

[terracore]

The pro we hired put siesta up into the bananas and other trees as much as is possible. Based on my experience the siesta is more effective than provaunt, unfortunate that there is no way to get corn grits to stick 30' up in a tree. Do you use the Zep sprayers for the provaunt? We haven't had much luck with them lasting for an entire bottle and looking for alternatives.

[KaraBenNemsi]

Provaunt has as the active ingredient Indoxacarb. It is a broad spectrum poison against many critters. Not only LFA.

Siesta has as the active ingredient Metaflumizone. It was developed against ticks and fleas, but works on LFA as well. It blocks their sodium channel and paralyzes them.

Both have a single action mechanism. The EXTINGUISH+ I see as superior as it has a double action: Infertility of the queens + Death to the workers.

Whatever poison you end up using (variety is probably the best) soak it in soy, canola, or peanut oil. Doesn't matter--the proteins in the oil is what they are after. Even the LFA ants high in trees come down for a bait like this. So nail a can on the tree trunk out of reach for other critters. Make sure the rain doesn't soak the bait. Smear some around the can and around the trunk. Or climb a tall ladder and mount it up there.

Good luck!

[Lodestone]

TC, I use "Master Blaster" to spray Provaunt bait up into my trees. Cheap, rarely clogs, shoots about 20 ft.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00P8E4338/
I also make it a point to toss Siesta up into the trees as best I can. Most of it winds up on the ground, but every little bit helps.

[glassnumbers]

Aloha! Little fire ants can be sprayed and stuff, it's true, but the best way is to PUNCH THEM IN THE FACE! this shows that you aren't scared of them, and they recognize that you are the alpha creature.

[terracore]

"Provaunt has as the active ingredient Indoxacarb. It is a broad spectrum poison against many critters. Not only LFA."

That explains it's effectiveness. Indoxacarb is the ingredient in Advion roach bait gel, I read that for every roach that comes in contact with the gel, 54 other cockroaches die. Because roaches are cannibals and a poisoned roach will kill the other roaches that eat it, and the roaches that eat them will die, and the roaches that eat them will die too, up to 3 generations. (Some studies suggest even 4 or 5). The poison is deliberately slow-acting so that the roaches will live long enough to return to the roach community and poison the other roaches.

My daughter rented an apartment in Honolulu that was infested with roaches and none of the usual remedies helped. I sent her a tube of Advion roach gel and it was a miracle cure. This is what I sent her:

https://www.amazon.com/Advion-Syngen...31792b485f68d1

[terracore]

If you've had problems finding Siesta, it's because it's no longer available in the 2 pound containers. (The 2 pound containers replaced the 1.5 pound containers, which are also no longer available).

The smallest size currently available is 15 pounds. Because of the high cost of the 15 pound bags (over $200) most of the merchants stopped selling it. (even the Hilo Farm Co-op no longer carries it).

There is an eBay merchant selling 1.5 pound jugs for $47 with free shipping. They have two left.

CPS has the 15# bags in stock for $206 plus tax. When we run out of Siesta the plan is to buy the 15# bag with neighbors and friends and split the cost.

The 15# bags work out to approximately $13 a pound as compared to $25 in the 2 pound jugs, so its actually a MUCH better deal, we just can't use 15# before it goes bad.

[Kayekaye]

How about this? Photo of molten lead poured into nest chambers. I've been caught by those fire ant before on Maui, hate them.

[leilaniguy]

Those are fascinating, best part is that wipes out the nest!