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Monday, January 5, 2015

Under the Wheelbarrow: Will the chickens eat these?

Thelma is just not interested.



About three weeks ago when the plumber worked with the trencher, I came out to find my wheelbarrow had been used without my knowledge. My idea is that construction workers should bring their own tools, not just use a homeowner's things. 

The problem is the wheelbarrow is broken. The only way I will know how to repair it is for it not to be torn limb from gut. I really need to know how it goes back together. The wheelbarrow is barely holding together without the grunt dragging it around. When I went to buy wheelbarrow handles, TSC had one handle. Lowe's had one handle. They did not match. sigh

Okay, back to the story.

At any rate, the guy had uncovered something I needed to attend to. Sunday was the day. All the hens were interested but decided there was nothing of interest. In other words, there was no food.
 
 
one dollar bill and fire ant mound
 
 
I was horrified when I saw the extent of the mound. The wheelbarrow was used as shelter!  So, the fire ant mound follows the wheelbarrow shape. The mound was about 10 inches at its tallest. I forgot to get a picture to show the height. Look at all the little green sprouts at the top, top right corner, and even within the mound. As you can see, some of  the green happened underneath the wheelbarrow.  

 
poisoned
 

 

two things
 

1) Can you see the green stems coming from the white powder? The green fascinates me. 2) To the right of the white powder, see the ground with many holes in it? That is part of the mound knocked off by the kid who removed the wheelbarrow from the mound. I suppose that section is empty, but you can see how large the openings about three inches down are.

I covered the mound with the wheelbarrow. Hopefully, the poison is doing the work. There are other really large mounds in several places, but none this large, not even close.

what I used
 
 

The instructions said to use 2 tsp sprinkled on the mound. As you may have noticed, I used quite a bit more. . Ooops, I see powder on the bottle. So, this will have to go outdoors.

This is not the largest mound I have ever seen. But it was about 60 years ago that I saw one larger. If I thought the chickens like ants, I would not put poison on the mound.

Your turn
If you have fireants what Brand poison do you use? Someone told me chickens would clear a yard of fire ants. However, this does not seem to be true. Have you ever heard of ants eating any kind of ants? If so, what kind of chickens were doing the ant-eating?

7 comments:

  1. We've tried every brand there is so it's always alternating. Our problem is that there is an empty lot next to us so the ants move from our yard to the next and back again. It's a never ending battle. And, we sprinkle our powder like you do - there can never be too much fire ant killer!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bellen
      Groan! I may resort to gasoline. thee are several almost that large. I think two tsps. is for a tiny mound.

      Delete
  2. We don't get ants like that up here. The frost kills a lot of things. I would have been upset if I found that. I may have screamed a bit like a little girl. LOL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sonya Ann,
      At first, forty years ago, scientists thought that since these were tropical, they would no go north. Yet, the adapt and thrive, sometimes indoors. Yes, I was resorting to whimpering when I saw that.

      Delete
  3. I generally use Amdro, but like Bellen said, some die and the rest move next door. My neighbor does not do a very good job tending to her backyard and it is sometimes a haven for lots of critters. I can deal with the ants, but I am not thrilled with the snakes in the summer. I know they can and do go everywhere, but when the grass is knee high ( or higher) they have lots of great hiding places there

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anne,
      Fire ants scare me worse than snakes. I did not see Amdro, what I actually wanted. Hopefully, these won't find my pots where I plant things and things are growing right now. Knee high? Maybe she needs help.

      Delete
  4. First of all, that plumber was rude for not even asking you for permission to use your wheelbarrow. Second, that surely is a pretty big mound for a fire ant’s nest. Fire ants are really scary, as their bites are quite painful and itchy, and it can sometimes lead to allergic reactions. Anyway, I hope you managed to get rid of those pests soon after. Take care!


    Alta Peng @ Liberty Pest

    ReplyDelete

Okay, hoping the annoyances have gone away.