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Boardwalk :: Forum List Six (6) New Worm Digest Forums 1) General Earthworm Discussion Forum
timnbama
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A Protected Species Earthworm
Posts: 120
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 Stinking fireants - 2008/08/09 22:58 I had spent days digging and leveling and setting up concrete blocks then lined the bed with rigid foam. I had went all the way around the thing with ant granules. Yesterday I figured that I was helping my grey wigglers by moving them into their new home. This morning it had fireants for a while in the bedding, mainly up under the carpet that was on top of the bed.
I spent about 4 hours over there killing those things with my fingers and then spent the rest of the day digging the bedding and worms and cocoons back out and putting them in a 2'x8'x2' deep bin with the legs in buckets of oil. Still got a lot more bedding to move but I think the worms are all in the bin now along with all the cocoons that I saw.
I still don't know how they got in there or from where. They would have soon had a nice bed going but I didn't want to use any poison in the bed. That reminded me that I live in west central Alabama which has got to be the fireant capital of the United States. Luckily I never got bit or stung or whatever they do as they make my breathing get shallow. If any of you folks don't have these aggravating things you are fortunate.
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WFike
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A Protected Species Earthworm
Posts: 224
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 Re:Stinking fireants - 2008/08/09 23:15 fireants don't like it wet so you might keep it a little wetter for a while and mabye install a moat around the bed with pvc pipe cut in half lengthwise and fill with oil. might need to go on a fireant killing spree for the rest of the summer and get them off your property. I got rid of mine but every time I bring in a load of mulch or horse manure I bring them right back!
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timnbama
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A Protected Species Earthworm
Posts: 120
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 Re:Stinking fireants - 2008/08/10 22:14 I think that I'll level a foundation board, pour a slab and leave a few inches out beyound the slab all around for a pvc pipe split lengthwise to make a moat and bed it into the concrete before it hardens. I bet that will keep those ____ things out of the beds or at least as long as there's oil in the moat. Then I can either mortar the blocks together or just butt them together. You would think that with cages of rabbits drinking and wetting the ants cound find plenty of water without having to invade my worm bed.
I had thought about a moat molded into the concrete and coating the inside of it with something to keep the oil from penetrating into the concrete so thanks for the pvc pipe trick. The only thing that I'm not sure of is how well will pvc glue stand up to exposure to used motor oil. Any ideas on that?
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WFike
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A Protected Species Earthworm
Posts: 224
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 Re:Stinking fireants - 2008/08/11 18:47 Might be easier to just get rid of all of the fire ant beds in your yard. Just put some poison in every bed you can find and in a week do it again until there are no more beds nearby. I don't think that they are in the beds for water. They actually don't like to be in a bed that is wet.
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wormherder
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A Juvenile Earthworm
Posts: 68
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 Re:Stinking fireants - 2008/09/21 23:43 what ever you do fire ants will continue to arrive
the food smell is what brings them I found that if you sprinkle lime every couple of days around the outside on the ground if it doesnt wash into your beds is the best thing but lime is very caustic to you and your farm so becareful otherwise try moving inside
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WFike
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A Protected Species Earthworm
Posts: 224
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 Re:Stinking fireants - 2008/09/22 22:22 If you are raising fire ants in your yard you are going to have them in the beds also. If you are not killing them you are raising them!
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Boardwalk :: Forum List Six (6) New Worm Digest Forums 1) General Earthworm Discussion Forum

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