Fire Ants - Solenopsis species ~200+

[Tucson Grower]

This is to discuss a most recent experience, though they have been a long-standing bane.

They have recently been more active in my garden than ever before. This time, instead of bothering the ground cherries, sweet corn, and figs, they've also began being a major issue for some of the okra. Interfering with the production of my F1 seed. At first I couldn't get them to take poison bait, but once I removed the okra pods they were feeding on, they then began taking bait. Hopefully the bait will do its job and I won't have any further issues with ants, this season.

[Tucson Grower]

Well, I was planning to pull out my bottle of tee tree oil, but it was apparently left in an unknown location (its missing). I was, however, able to locate my 50 year old bottle of citronella oil. So, using a welders flux applicator brush, I painted the entire outer surface of the most recently affected HH seedpod. I also noticed they were taking the poison bait from the small plastic tray, of same, which I had positioned beneath and near to the stem of that HH plant. I hope the bait does its job, so I can save some citronella oil, for other purposes.

[Tucson Grower]

This season, I first noticed the fire ants, eating on some of the ripe ground cherries, then the 'Old Red Blush' okra, later some sweet corn, then a SIR hosted F1 seedpod, and then an adjacent HH hosted F1 seedpod. Now an HH hosted F1 seedpod at the opposite end of the row where the first HH seedpod had been affected.