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Milberger's Nursery and Landscaping
3920 North Loop 1604 E.
San Antonio, TX 78247
210.497.3760
nursery@milbergersa.com
Open 9 to 6 Mon. through Sat.
and 10 to 5 on Sun.
Three exits east of 281, inside of 1604
Next to the Diamond Shamrock station
Please click map for more detailed map and driving directions.
| Subject: LEAFCUTTER ANTS I have not had any success with the products that are currently being sold for killing Cut Ants. In desperation I called Red River Products to order some Volcano which I had used previously and which killed two large mounds very effectively. The gentleman at Red River Products returned my call and informed me that the company that manufactured Volcano was bought out and that there was not enough demand for Volcano, consequently no more Volcano. HELP, what do we do now? =========================================== ANSWER: There’s apparently a long, sad story about the loss of Volcano, but I won’t try to recount it. Right now the best options are: (1) Grant’s Kill Ants – not highly effective, but does work about 30% of time, according to Texas Forest Service. (2) New Ambrand’s version of same bait, to be called Ant Block Home Perimeter. Not sure who’s going to sell this. Effectiveness, I’m guessing will be about the same as Grant’s. (3) One of the insecticide dusts registered for control of ant mounds (Orthene (acephate), Bayer Advanced Lawn Fire Ant Killer Ready to Use Dust (cyfluthrin), or deltamethrin dust (Terro Brand)). Dusts can work if blown into multiple nest entrances. I recommend a garden duster capable of blowing it into the nest. Be careful about using Orthene (acephate) in the vicinity of a home, however, because of it’s potential for causing a stink. There is a new product that some folks hope will reach the market this spring. It will be called BES-100. It’s an orange-pulp based bait, and it is supposed to be a little better than Volcano. I don’t know whether the label will include urban landscapes or not. Active ingredient is fipronil. Apparently the holdup is at the EPA because of concerns about the environmental fate of fipronil. Lastly, the most effective approach may be to simply protect your sensitive plants with a permethrin spray. Not a perfect solution, and it won’t get rid of the ants, but it does confer some protection on valuable plants. I hope this helps. Michael Merchant, PhD, BCE; Urban Entomologist; Texas Cooperative Extension For another technique of cutant control, see: |