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[Doc Lisenby <longdistshtr@shtc.net>]

Ward, one enterprising neighbor of mine rigged a two foot piece of stainless
half-inch tubing on the end of a hose attached to a propane tank and gave
the mound a deep shot for about a minute, then he tossed a lighted two inch
fire cracker at the hole and stood back.  It gave him a few laughs even tho'
he still has plenty of  Fire Ants.
A nurseryman told me they set up housekeeping in his potted plants.  He
sells a few thousand or so of mums and poinsettias every year.  He said they
eat the roots and kill the plants.  Lawn care professionals around here use
0.2% Bifenthrin granules but its use is restricted to licensed applicators.
Brand name is Talstar made by FMC Corporation, Philadelphia.
I haven't seen anything which is environmentally safe work to abate their
advance.  We have had a local fatality wherein a deer hunter fell out of  a
tree stand onto a Fire Ant mound, broke his leg, and was stung to death.
Haven't heard whether the fly which lays their eggs in the Fire Ant's head
is successful or not.  Doesn't make sense to me.  We should be trying to
give them coronary heart disease, it is killing us off like flies.  Maybe we
should try french fries and cookies containing trans-fats.

Doc Lisenby
Zone 7/8