I have ants in the barn. I found them in the grain feeders this morning and on Fitz. In south MS we have fire ants and I'm not crazy about them biting my goats. I bought some food grade DE today and sprinkled it around the perimeter of the barn and all over the inside. Should I dust the goats too? I have no idea where the ants are coming from...I didn't see a mound in the pasture or barn.
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Well, I guess the DE dusting helped. There aren't any ants crawling on Fitz or the girls anymore, but they are still in the barn, although a lot fewer. I read the indications and warnings on Ortho Home Defense Max which SAYS it's only dangerous to aquatic and reptile type pets and birds if they eat seeds recently sprayed. I'm planning to try this around the perimeter of the barn and on the floor to see how it works. I'll let y'all know as soon as I have info...
I found 2 sugar ant mounds in the pasture, but they don't seem to be bothering the goats. And naturally a fire ant mound closer to the barn. I've used Spectricide Fire Ant Mound Destroyer around the yard for years. One day our boxers ate an entire bag of the stuff - guess it tastes good *shrug* anyway the vet said they would have had to eat 10 bags to make them sick because of their weight. Do y'all think that rule might apply to goats as well? I read testing info on it after that happened and the weight-poison ration applies to rats as well...
DE takes time to work because it's a physical pesticide, rather than a chemical one. It would not stop the ants from crawling onto the goats, so I don't think it would do any good to dust the goats. I'm not entirely sure DE will kill fire ants. Thankfully I've never had to deal with them in IL, but I grew up in Texas and am painfully aware of what a problem they can be. Good luck, and tell us what works for you!
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Well, I guess the DE dusting helped. There aren't any ants crawling on Fitz or the girls anymore, but they are still in the barn, although a lot fewer. I read the indications and warnings on Ortho Home Defense Max which SAYS it's only dangerous to aquatic and reptile type pets and birds if they eat seeds recently sprayed. I'm planning to try this around the perimeter of the barn and on the floor to see how it works. I'll let y'all know as soon as I have info...
I found 2 sugar ant mounds in the pasture, but they don't seem to be bothering the goats. And naturally a fire ant mound closer to the barn. I've used Spectricide Fire Ant Mound Destroyer around the yard for years. One day our boxers ate an entire bag of the stuff - guess it tastes good *shrug* anyway the vet said they would have had to eat 10 bags to make them sick because of their weight. Do y'all think that rule might apply to goats as well? I read testing info on it after that happened and the weight-poison ration applies to rats as well...