Red Ants and insecticide

[AZPalms]

I have red ants in my yard and they’ve taken a new home at the base of couple of small palms. Will they hurt the palm and it’s roots?

I purchased insecticide with the main ingredient Lambda-Cyhalothrin

Will this hurt the palm if it’s near the base? It’s supposed to be slightly watered in. Any ideas?

[Estlander]

That’s something I’ve wondered about myself.  But just to be on the safe side, I always get rid of them if they take up residence at the base of any of my palms. Diatomaceous earth has always worked for me. And it’s completely natural. 

Edited June 11, 2019 by Estlander

[Silas_Sancona]

Pictures of the Ants?.. Curious because if they are our native Harvester Ants, while i don't think they'll hurt the palm / roots of it ( Harvesters are seed collectors mostly ) They do pack a nasty sting so i myself would get them out of the yard..  Diatomaceous Earth  spread where they're hanging out would likely work for them.. Won't hurt the palm at all..

if what you're dealing with are non native Fire Ants.. KILL THEM ALL, lol..   RIFA ( Red Imported Fire Ant ) can damage roots.. among all sorts of other stuff.. are very aggressive and sting like mad.. and once they get established, can be difficult to get rid of.. Would be surprised if  what you're seeing are Fire Ants since, as far as i'm aware, they've only been reported here in Arizona a few times.. Keeping them out of the state is one reason we have a hard time getting plants shipped from Florida, maybe Texas as well..

For them, i'd resort to something a bit stronger, but just spot treat and monitor.  No need to nuke the entire yard... Have used Home Defense around a few things in the past w/ no ill effects to the plants for a quick knock down when i had serious issues w / Big Headed Ants in Florida..  Don't sting but can damage plants simply by the massive amount of soil they can remove from containers..

Imported Fire Ants are small ( black and red ) compared to our Red Harvester Ants ( solid red ). Another species,  Southern Fire Ant, is native to AZ.. and pretty common around here also.. Solid Black, and not nearly as aggressive as the imported ones. Don't think they are as harmful to plants / other stuff  either,  but do sting as well...

[AZPalms]

1 hour ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Pictures of the Ants?.. Curious because if they are our native Harvester Ants, while i don't think they'll hurt the palm / roots of it ( Harvesters are seed collectors mostly ) They do pack a nasty sting so i myself would get them out of the yard..  Diatomaceous Earth  spread where they're hanging out would likely work for them.. Won't hurt the palm at all..

if what you're dealing with are non native Fire Ants.. KILL THEM ALL, lol..   RIFA ( Red Imported Fire Ant ) can damage roots.. among all sorts of other stuff.. are very aggressive and sting like mad.. and once they get established, can be difficult to get rid of.. Would be surprised if  what you're seeing are Fire Ants since, as far as i'm aware, they've only been reported here in Arizona a few times.. Keeping them out of the state is one reason we have a hard time getting plants shipped from Florida, maybe Texas as well..

For them, i'd resort to something a bit stronger, but just spot treat and monitor.  No need to nuke the entire yard... Have used Home Defense around a few things in the past w/ no ill effects to the plants for a quick knock down when i had serious issues w / Big Headed Ants in Florida..  Don't sting but can damage plants simply by the massive amount of soil they can remove from containers..

Imported Fire Ants are small ( black and red ) compared to our Red Harvester Ants ( solid red ). Another species,  Southern Fire Ant, is native to AZ.. and pretty common around here also.. Solid Black, and not nearly as aggressive as the imported ones. Don't think they are as harmful to plants / other stuff  either,  but do sting as well...

Pretty sure it’s the harvester ant. Not the RIFA. They do sting and are quite aggressive. Here’s the best picture I have circled in yellow 

[Silas_Sancona]

23 minutes ago, AZPalms said:

Pretty sure it’s the harvester ant. Not the RIFA. They do sting and are quite aggressive. Here’s the best picture I have circled in yellow 

Hard to say for sure, but here is a couple pictures of our Harvester Ants.. Size is big enough that i can see them crawling across the ground from the patio, or roughly 15ft away from where a nest is located are out on the trails.. Winged   Worker?.. i think?  pictured would hide half the Fingernail of my Pinky.  They generally aren't all that  aggressive except at the nest.  Imported Fire Ants will pour out of their nest if you walk near it. I only get stung by our native Fire Ants when i break up a nest while weeding.

Maricopa Red Harvester Ant:

Edited June 12, 2019 by Silas_Sancona
edit

[aztropic]

Stomp the ground and see if your ants pour out for attack.I chase the nests around my front yard almost every year.Seems like you knock out one area using boric acid and they just move 3 feet over...

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

[Steve in Florida]

Ants will build a chamber through the palm's root system and remove soil from nutrient and water absorbing roots and root hairs.  As the chamber gets larger more roots are disturbed and at some point the plant starts to grow slower or leaf discoloration might show up.  Best to contact the seller or an arborist for the proper dilution rate for a soil drench around the palms.

Edited June 12, 2019 by Steve in Florida

[FishEyeAquaculture]

In my experience, anything LIQUID with Fipronil as the active ingredient is the best product for ants. Even though it is not labeled for ants, Termidor (or generic brand) works wonders.  You can get it at Do It Yourself Pest Control stores. It is expensive, but a little goes a long way. 

When we moved here, our property was loaded with fire ant mounds. So I sprayed the mounds for “termites”, preventative measure of course , and it just so happens that neither I or my neighbors have seen a fire ant for going on 9 years.  Termites are nowhere to be seen either. 

[OC2Texaspalmlvr]

3 hours ago, FishEyeAquaculture said:

In my experience, anything LIQUID with Fipronil as the active ingredient is the best product for ants. Even though it is not labeled for ants, Termidor (or generic brand) works wonders.  You can get it at Do It Yourself Pest Control stores. It is expensive, but a little goes a long way. 

When we moved here, our property was loaded with fire ant mounds. So I sprayed the mounds for “termites”, preventative measure of course , and it just so happens that neither I or my neighbors have seen a fire ant for going on 9 years.  Termites are nowhere to be seen either. 

That's excellent information we have fire ants bad where I'm at , its like wack a mole with ant mounds haha