Myths About Fire Ant Home Remedies

Have you heard about the home remedy that allowed people to kill fire ants without using chemicals? How about using grits or oatmeal to kill fire ants? These are two of the home remedies many people think will kill fire ants. They are just myths and do not kill the fire ants.

Killing Fire Ants with Club Soda Home Remedy

This is home remedy is false. The club soda won’t kill the fire ants. The only thing that will happen for sure is they will move to another location; which more than likely won’t be far. Another thing that surely can happen, is you are stung by a fire ant or several while pouring the club soda down the opening of the mound. The carbon monoxide said to be given off by the club soda wouldn’t be enough to kill any of the fire ants. Hooking a hose to a running vehicle’s tail pipe and placing it in the tunnel opening wouldn’t have much affect either since the ants may live as far as 12 feet underground.

Killing Fire Ants with Grits or Oatmeal Home Remedy

Don’t put too much faith in the grits or oatmeal home remedy for killing fire ants, as this home remedy is false. It doesn’t have any more of an affect than the club soda home remedy. By putting grits or oatmeal on top of the mound or placing it inside the hole, it only will drive the fire ants to dig another hole for a mound a few yards away from the original ant hill. Keep your grits and oatmeal in the house and eat them yourself. You will benefit from the nutrition of these two items more so than the fire ants.

Killing Fire Ants with Plaster of Paris, Bleach, Chlorine, Ammonia, Gasoline, Drain Cleaners, and Detergent Home Remedies

While it Plaster of Paris is good for making things from molds, it is false that it will kill fire ants. Using chlorine, bleach, ammonia, gasoline, drain cleaners, and home detergents as a home remedy for killing fire ants is also false. Outside the fact they are a cheap source for trying to rid your yard of them, they will not have any more of an effect on the fire ants than any of the other home remedies. Not only that, the harm any of these items can do to the earth and other animals in the area are far more severe than the fire ants.

Conclusion

Forgo using the home remedies of club soda, grits, oatmeal, plaster of Paris, chlorine, bleach, ammonia, gasoline, drain cleaners, and detergents for the home for killing fire ants. You will be wasting time and money on home remedies that won’t work in killing fire ants. You will be relocating the fire ant hill opening to another location with little effect on killing these ants.

Sources

Barbara and David P. Mikkelson;Clubbed; Pouring club soda on a fire ant mound will kill the colony; Snopes.com

Maggie Lawrence; Fire Ant Home Remedies Becoming Urban Myths; Cooperative Extension System; Extension.com