Killing Ants

Tony's Uncle Stan is an insect god. He has written the bible on tarantula care and been studying and teaching about insects for decades. The last time he was in for a visit, my MIL (Uncle Stan's sister) and I were telling him about all the problems we have with fire ants here in North Texas. He had a very simple solution for us that is environmentally friendly. Hot, soapy water. Simply fill a bucket with a couple gallons of hot tap water, add a small amount of dish soap, mix thoroughly, and pour over the mound. Insects have a waxy coating on their bodies to protect them from dehydration. The soapy water dissolves this waxy layer and kills them. In my experience, one bucket is enough to kill a small mound. Some of the monster size mounds we have here though require multiple applications. I just check back each day and continue to add a bucket until all traces of the ants are gone. After a year of trying this method, the best part is I have yet to find the ants returning to each treated area!