Ants on some parts around my above ground pool

[ssgonzalez]

hi everyone,

I was taking a swim today and went out and saw this. (Ant nest ) There was some flying ants as well but by the time I picked up my cellphone to take a picture they were gone.

Wondering, can these create holes underneath my above ground pool? If yes, how would you treat this problem?

EDIT: I can’t upload a picture, it says it is too large for the server.

Thanks!

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

You found the actual nest and not just a random ant hideout? That's great. Kill the entire nest with an appropriate pesticide.

Smartphone photos are often too large to post here. Use an image editor to reduce the number of bytes in the photo, then post.

 

[TinFoilHat]

I use AMDRO on all but tiny sugar ants. It is fed to the queen and then she and the nest will die.

 

[ssgonzalez]

You found the actual nest and not just a random ant hideout? That's great. Kill the entire nest with an appropriate pesticide.

Smartphone photos are often too large to post here. Use an image editor to reduce the number of bytes in the photo, then post.

I have a few ant hills. And I saw some flying ants comign from there so I assume is the nest? Would ortho home defense work?

 

[Parac]

I have a few ant hills. And I saw some flying ants comign from there so I assume is the nest? Would ortho home defense work?

It's a weak concentration of bifenthrin, but could work. I usually get a concentrate of binfenthrin or permethrin from Amazon to mix with water and make it stronger than Ortho's premixed stuff. Not sure if you can get the concentrate in Canada.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I use AMDRO on all but tiny sugar ants. It is fed to the queen and then she and the nest will die.

I use that all around my home as a perimeter bait shield. Usually buy it in the larger container sizes then sprinkle a 12” trail all around my house. I’ve seen ants drag the bait particles a hundred yards to get it back to the nest … must be like Snicker bars to them. Once the workers bring it down into the nest I’ve seen huge ant hills go dormant in 24 hours or less. After that, the hill is dead and it blows away in the wind. Never fails to kill an ant hill.

 

[PCR]

I use that all around my home as a perimeter bait shield. Usually buy it in the larger container sizes then sprinkle a 12” trail all around my house. I’ve seen ants drag the bait particles a hundred yards to get it back to the nest … must be like Snicker bars to them. Once the workers bring it down into the nest I’ve seen huge ant hills go dormant in 24 hours or less. After that, the hill is dead and it blows away in the wind. Never fails to kill an ant hill.

Looks effective! It doesn't seem to be pet safe from a very quick look at it, although I'm not sure. Do you know if the first rainfall would deactivate it? Or how long until you could let pets out in an area where you had used it?

 

[TinFoilHat]

Read the label for that. My concern is the birds that our yard attracts. I do put it down at a time that it won't get wet from the sprinklers. If you put it on an active area of ants it won't take long for the bait to disappear. If it gets wet it probably is no longer attractive and when it gets real hot for a while it fades which then never seems to get picked up. That's why it's important to put it down where the ants are active. If I find a nest that isn't active I pound the ground or stick a screwdriver down in the dirt - something to bring them out defensively where they then find the bait. If they don't come out then they aren't there.

 

[ssgonzalez]

I use AMDRO on all but tiny sugar ants. It is fed to the queen and then she and the nest will die.

I don’t find that article in Canada just this: https://www.fruugo.ca/amdro-1005229...E8gUDkmKdpBupRO3N7KVhj7BMgwJsvc4aAt3qEALw_wcB

44 for shipping… I think I will look for other options. It is very hard to find pesticides in Canada.

Someone recommended me this: https://www.rona.ca/en/product/terr...lled-liquid-ant-baits-6-pack-t300can-13095062

Not sure if it works.

 

[flynwill]

The Terro ant baits work well for indoor invasions of Argentine ants (the very tiny ones we have everywhere in Southern California), but have been totally ineffective against the same ants outside for me.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

We don’t get much rain here so I can’t say for 100% that getting it wet reduces its effectiveness. But I’ve put it down at all times of the year and it always gets consumed. As a perimeter spread it generally works its way down through the decorative rocks to the ground. So it’s well covered and larger animals don’t go after it. It’s designed for outdoor use as a perimeter barrier as well as spot application. It’s not intended for indoor use at all.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Advion ant gel is what my pest control company uses for indoor invasions. You apply it to points along the ant trail back to where the incursion occurs, usually at a wall or floor corner, and you let the ants feed on it. Don’t bother them at all. Once they start feeding on the gel, they take it back to colony and feed it to the rest and the queen. The colony dies. I had an indoor incursion two years ago and the Advion gel killed the ants in 24 hours. By 48 hours there wasn’t a single ant anywhere.

 

[VinnyinNJ]

Something that I have used with great success is Termidor SC and it's generic equivalent Taurus SC. You spray it and as the ants walk through it they spread it around to all the other ants. It's active ingredient is Fipronil which is the same stuff in Dog's Frontline anti flea and tick application. I haven't used it around my pool yet but it has been extremely effective in stopping ants from coming in my house.

I was told about this product from my exterminator. You need a clean (new) sprayer that nothing else has been used in, the product is odorless to the ants. I spray 2x a year - March and June before I see ants to pre treat around the house. I have used it after seeing ants in the house (I was late in applying) and it is very effective. I have never used it around my pool but I can't see why it wouldn't work. It's kind of expensive but it goes a long way - I believe I make about 20 gallons of insecticide with it so it lasts a few years.