Fire ants

Last winter, my bit of Wisconsin saw two days when the temperature did not rise above -25f +/-. I noticed, beginning this spring and continuing even now, we are not seeing the number of bugs like mosquitoes that we usually do.

And one of the benefits of living in a northern state: the bugs are smaller.

 

A farm near me advertises Registered Fire Ants

 

My bro-in-law in Sebastian, Fl. mixes insect killer containing Sevin into a small amount of honey & sets a bottle cap full of it near a fire ant mound. Takes a few days, but it WORX ! (He makes sure there are no flowers of any kind near the nest so bees won't get the poisoned honey.) He has his neighbors' permission to bait nests in their yards as well.

This is much-cheaper than buying ready-mixed bait, and just-as-effective. If the ants start showing resistance to Sevin, there are other powdered or liquid slow poisons one can use. And, even if you don't have fire ants, the same method will work against other bugs attracted to honey, such as yellow jackets. Just please be mindful of the bees !

 

Sugar sprayed with talstar P is super mean.