#  >  > Living And Legal Affairs In Thailand >  >  > Farming & Gardening In Thailand >  >  Red Ants

## Airportwo

Red ants seem to have taken over my garden, they are everywhere, especialy in trees - zillions of em! 
How to get rid of em????

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## Attilla the Hen

Are these the type that pull leaves together and stitch them up to make a nest?
If so, they have an awfully painful bite.

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## Happyman

^
If they are then get one of those sprays of bug killer with a long thin tube to stick in the spray hole .

Ease that in between the stuck together leaves and give 'em a blast.
After you have done it about three or four times on the same tree the little buggers move away ! Those that are left alive !

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## Rural Surin

Leave them alone. Tamarind Red Ants generally like to nest high and out of the way.....what's with you people that react to kill everything in sight when it inconveniences you ever so slightly. These little buggers are more important to the universal life cycles than we are.

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## withnallstoke

> Are these the type that pull leaves together and stitch them up to make a nest? If so, they have an awfully painful bite.


If they are, ask one of the natives round for supper and show them the nests. They'll have the buggers down in no time, and a meal to boot.

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## Airportwo

I cut some branches from trees yesterday, thats how I found out - yes they have a painful bite, maybe the best thing to do is let them settle down again, and leave them be?

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## Norton

> maybe the best thing to do is let them settle down again, and leave them be?


That's the ticket.  They will be gone in a couple of months anyway.  Good news is they will stay outside as they don't care much for indoor living.

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## blackgang

Get a tank type sprayer as they come in handy when the black ants of a dozen different types and sizes move in to destroy your stored food supply and get into everything in the house.
Then buy a bottle of CHAINDRITE and mix according to directions with water, then spray your tree and the outside of your house where it comes in contact with the ground and any ant runways and trails that you see and then you will not be bothered for awhile, but you will have to respray every so often to remain any free.
Or call an exterminator and they will do it for about 4k and then be back every month for awhile and you should get a 2 year guarentee.

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## Airportwo

Norton ^^ Care to expand on above? are they "seasonal' ? temporary accommodation or ?

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## slimboyfat

Show me one of his posts and I will red him

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## Attilla the Hen

I think what Norton means is that once they've eaten the available food supply, they move on to richer pickin's.

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## pompeybloke

Those red ones in the trees are large and the bite is painful initially but quickly subsides. Only attack as self defence it seems, let be is best. Awkward thoguh when tree branches need pruning. 
It's the small red ground ants that bite enmasse and are everywhere at the mo. using antpowder to kill em near the house as my kids get attacked too much. bite stings a lot, swells and irritates for a week after. buggers them.

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## Smithson

> what's with you people that react to kill everything in sight when it inconveniences you ever so slightly.


I tend to agree, besides killing the ants, poisons will kill all sorts of insects and microorganisms, many of which are beneficial for organic gardening. 

Would be good to hear some other ways to deal with ants, we've got heaps, the locals want to spray but I won't let them.

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## Norton

> Norton ^^ Care to expand on above? are they "seasonal' ? temporary accommodation or ?


Up here in Isaan we are in the annual nesting period.  Lots of folks out getting the eggs (Kai Mut Daeng).  The ants will be nesting for about 2 or 3 months then they will pretty much disperse.  Not sure where they go but you won't find many around when they are not nesting.  

Really no need to poison them.  Just stay clear and watch where you step with bare feet. :Smile: 

These are likely the ants you speak of.

weaver red ant (oecophylla smaragdina): info fact sheet, photos

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## Airportwo

^ Thats em! - anyway - they have been officially reprieved  - Bless them! - girlfriend has already collected what eggs she could..............

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## chitown

> ....what's with you people that react to kill everything in sight when it inconveniences you ever so slightly


If only we were all more like you..........  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

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## dirtydog

Send then to rurla surin, or, poison the buggers.

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## somtamslap

Tis easy.. Find the nest, light a small fire under it, prise the nest down with a long stick making sure the nest remains intact, gently lower it to the fire holding the nest about 6-10 inches from it, wait a minute or two, take hold of nest in hands, peel back leaves, empty out all the dead ants and lick the eggs off the leaves...issan cavier...best served on the peel of a papaya for that extra hint of rurality.

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## blackgang

Chaindrite will fix it so ya dont have to put up with em.
Shelldrite is better but if ya find it do not let any spray blow back in your face or on any tender skin as it is a burning bitch but it also means you have no ants, termites or spiders either.

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## kk boy

Eggs are actually very good for bait when fishing and don't know if it is true but remember someone saying that they were the original colouring for a Thai red curry

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## Airportwo

2 of the trees are 15m plus high, anybody want to volunteer and nip up the trees, find the nests then randomly exterminate the rest   :Smile:

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## blackgang

Friend of mine last year had them red bastards in his tree and were ceawling all over the outside of his house,
So he borrow my garden sprayer and some of the chaindrite in it and sprayed his tree up as high as he could get it to squirt, got rid of the ants from his property that day and ain't been bothered since.

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## Spin

> lick the eggs off the leaves...issan cavier.


The gf was telling me this week she had been eating ant eggs. She reckons I should eat them becuase folklore has it, they give a man extra power down there. 
Not that I need any help in that department of course.

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## Wayne Kerr

A good way to solve the problem for good is to put a few soft drink bottles half full of water around the perimeter of your property. These attract the ants away from areas where they cause you grief. Eventually they build their nests near the water bottles at which time you can f'ck the bottles off and blow the nest up with a stick of dynamite or pour petrol down their nest holes, light it up, and burn the suckers alive. Hope this has been useful advice and have fun killing ants, the f'n little things  :Smile:

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## Norton

> She reckons I should eat them becuase folklore has it, they give a man extra power down there.


Antagra.  Readily available at your local village mini mart.

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## Texpat

Old boy down the street goes hunting every day about 5 p.m. 
Carries a very long bamboo pole with a blue net attached to one end.

He gets a meal and I get rid of those fucking ants. Symbiotic existence. Should make RS, the zen master, proud. If I don't see him for a few days and the ants start rallying, I use my wife's hairspray on the nest and then light it on fire.

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## sunsetter

the tiny lil red n blacks are the worst, dont see em till theyre screwing there pincers into ya, wankers!!

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## Airportwo

Well, the good news is they seem to have all gone back up the trees, the bad news is the zillion bites i got are starting to itch! - twats

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## DrAndy

> Get a tank type sprayer as they come in handy when the black ants of a dozen different types and sizes move in to destroy your stored food supply and get into everything in the house.
> Then buy a bottle of CHAINDRITE and mix according to directions with water, then spray your tree and the outside of your house where it comes in contact with the ground and any ant runways and trails that you see and then you will not be bothered for awhile, but you will have to respray every so often to remain any free.
> Or call an exterminator and they will do it for about 4k and then be back every month for awhile and you should get a 2 year guarentee.


 
I am suprised you didn't recommend Napalm BG, it does the trick

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## blackgang

> I am suprised you didn't recommend Napalm BG, it does the trick


I can leave food on the drainboard over nite and have no ants in the house in the morning, either here or at the house we own down the road,, can you?

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## hawkeye

Good lotion for ant bites and mozzie bites is....Prophadryl Lotion...in a small bottle,made by Prooff & Co here in Thailand. Available at most local chemist type shops. Contains Calamine,Camphor,Menthol. Very soothing and stops the itch.

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## Happyman

In complete opposition to my previous post I would like to make a few additions/alterations ! + a conformation of a previous post above !

My brother has a few mango trees/bushes in his garden and the other night he asked me if I could get rid of them -the red ant infestation ( he spends 6 months a year in his leased house in Rawai )

His landlady was there at the time and she called her family and they came down and took the lot ( amid a lot of screaming and giggling !) 
Knowing that I go fishing a lot she gave me a small pot full of eggs and larvae for bait .
Used them the next day in a stream - the one that flows through the grounds of Bangkok Phuket Hospital- and got half a bucketful of little minnow type fish. 
Dipped in flour and deep fried they were better than the whitebait at The Prospect of Whitby !!! ( for non Brits it is a famous London pub and whitebait have been  their "signature " dish for the last 200 years !!!)

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## Rural Surin

> the tiny lil red n blacks are the worst, dont see em till theyre screwing there pincers into ya, wankers!!


It's the worst when they invade one's scrotum. YOUCH!! The micro red ants would be far more of an intrusion than the Tamarinds. The larger red ants don't want anything to do with us and our prescious homes, whereas the tiny reds invade in numbers, with discrimination. If you don't keep them in check, you find them everywhere - from your wardrobe to your pantry and everywhere in between. They have the ability to get through anything. The Tamarind Red Ants don't go out of their way to create harm. Frankly, they are more beneficial to our environment than suspected.

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## Airportwo

I have been on a emotional high all day - the result of having spared so many lives   :Smile: 

But! have to wonder how they will now benefit me?

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## Attilla the Hen

> Used them the next day in a stream - the one that flows through the grounds of Bangkok Phuket Hospital- and got half a bucketful of little minnow type fish. 
> Dipped in flour and deep fried they were better than the whitebait at The Prospect of Whitby !!! ( for non Brits it is a famous London pub and whitebait have been their "signature " dish for the last 200 years !!!)


That's a klong. You do know that shit goes into there, don't you?

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## Rural Surin

> I have been on a emotional high all day - the result of having spared so many lives 
> 
> But! have to wonder how they will now benefit me?


You have to ask first, how does your kind benefit anything?

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## Marmite the Dog

> Chaindrite will fix it so ya dont have to put up with em. Shelldrite is better but if ya find it do not let any spray blow back in your face or on any tender skin as it is a burning bitch but it also means you have no ants, termites or spiders either.


Ya fuckin' pussy. Napalm is what you need or a flame-throwing tank at the very least.

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## Marmite the Dog

> I am suprised you didn't recommend Napalm BG, it does the trick


Bugger!

I really should read the entire thread before being a smart arse.

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## blackgang

Napalm would be more fun, but it would not keep ants out of my house. 
I use what ever keeps me comfortable and I can not be that way when bugs is crawling around in me house.

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## Happyman

> That's a klong. You do know that shit goes into there, don't you?


Have to disagree with you there - IT IS NOT A KLONG !- you have obviously not been there !

A klong is a canal which is usually static and drains the surrounding area. but, this  particular stream runs  from the hills and is sparkly clean . 
2 km downstream it does indeed turn into a stinky klong  :Smile: 
I go to the hospital for treatment every day which takes about 40 mins. I spend another hour watching the kingfishers and egrets going about their daily routine !
it is canalised between concrete walls but is real relaxation to sit on the wall and just watch !

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## Attilla the Hen

I had a hospital room that overlooked it. I figured as it runs between concrete, it was a klong.

Oh well, if you don't keel over with food poisoning, I'll know you were right.

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## Happyman

Still standing !!
Seriously though that stream is buggered up by the concrete walls, but , under the bridge to the carpark across the road, there are two kingfisher nests.
A pair of egrets were constant visitors but last week they brought 2 little ones on a training course - they are there most days now !!! :Smile: 
PS as well as an angler I am a bit of a 'twitcher' as well  :rofl:

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## Propagator

> PS as well as an angler I am a bit of a 'twitcher' as well

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## DrAndy

> Originally Posted by DrAndy
> 
> I am suprised you didn't recommend Napalm BG, it does the trick
> 
> 
> I can leave food on the drainboard over nite and have no ants in the house in the morning, either here or at the house we own down the road,, can you?


 
I have no idea as any food gets put away overnight

I will have to leave some out

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## El Gibbon

> PS as well as an angler I am a bit of a 'twitcher' as well


I always knew THAT!... was too polite to mention it though...

Guaranteed Mr Happy does know the difference between a klong and a stream. Its Rainbow runners that confuse him....  :Smile: 

E. G.

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## Happyman

> Its Rainbow runners that confuse him....


You have a mean tongue in your head  :rofl:  :rofl: 


Typical cheap 'merican attempt at humour (note correct spelling)- its not my fault!!
 "There ain't no f*ckin fish in this pond" as EG was once heard to declare - totally ignoring that we had 5 sailfish hits at the same time, and only 4 pairs of hands to grab the rods - now that was funny !!! :rofl:  :rofl:

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## El Gibbon

> Originally Posted by El Gibbon
> 
> Its Rainbow runners that confuse him....
> 
> 
> You have a mean tongue in your head 
> 
> 
> Typical cheap 'merican attempt at humour (note correct spelling)- its not my fault!!
>  "There ain't no f*ckin fish in this pond" as EG was once heard to declare - totally ignoring that we had 5 sailfish hits at the same time, and only 4 pairs of hands to grab the rods - now that was funny !!!


You forgot to mention that we were in 5ft swells and the rain and wavetops blowing directly into our faces.... yep that was a good un! Even the well experienced boat boys were laughing their asses off!.

E. G.

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## Loy Toy

An unwritten law and when playing golf in Asia.

When your ball has come to rest on top of a red ants nest or congregation you may lift the ball and drop it from above shoulder height at a safe distance away from the little coonts but not nearer the hole.

Vicious bastards they are and especially when they climb inside your shorts.  :Sad:

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## Korats

Sorry if this is already covered in the thread but it went so far off post I'll take the chance of repeating the information here! 

The tree-nesting ants are usually called weaver ants. (How they build the nests is really interesting but you can Google that if you want.).

The benefit these ants bring is that they can keep other insect pests away from fruit trees (such as mango trees, a very popular tree for them).

As one nest is part of a bigger colony, it is tough to get completely rid of them and keep them away. Often the issue is how to keep them off the ground, which is the bit they share with you! In Chinese orchards, nowadays they introduce weaver ants to help protect the fruit. To keep them off the ground they tie ropes from tree to tree and the ants much prefer travelling to the nests in their colonies by this rope without having to go to ground level. (if any of your trees have creepers, that is often the preferred ant travel route).

When it's time to prune the tree or do something else with it or they are still a major pest, that's when you need the other solutions. Yes, get the locals to take the eggs by removing the whole nest if you can; spread borax or other solutions at the base of the tree; or insecticide 'em.

Hope this helps.

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## DrAndy

yup, wot he sed

weaver red ant (oecophylla smaragdina): info fact sheet, photos

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## Rural Surin

The weavers are terribly fascinating to observe.

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## mtone9317

Aren't there any lizards aroud to eat the ants, my  chickens would eat red ants at eventide if I didn't feed them. One red hen would stand over the ant pile for an hour and eat every one that poped up and then she would scrach for more.
BTW I'm in Sacramento, Ca USA planning to come to Thailand in October to teach English. I'm a retired Cal teacher.

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## mellow

If you really want to kill them, I found that the crab poison they use in rice fields works very well. Just mix with water and spray. Haven't bothered for the last few years because they seem to leave us alone. Since they don't bother us, there is no sence in killing them.

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## FlyFree

> Leave them alone. Tamarind Red Ants generally like to nest high and out of the way.....what's with you people that react to kill everything in sight when it inconveniences you ever so slightly. These little buggers are more important to the universal life cycles than we are.


For once I have to agree with you. One would think that now that we are all aware of how we have managed to fuck up everything on our planet with this attitude, the penny would start dropping.

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## Whiteshiva

> Originally Posted by Rural Surin
> 
> 
> Leave them alone. Tamarind Red Ants generally like to nest high and out of the way.....what's with you people that react to kill everything in sight when it inconveniences you ever so slightly. These little buggers are more important to the universal life cycles than we are.
> 
> 
> For once I have to agree with you. One would think that now that we are all aware of how we have managed to fuck up everything on our planet with this attitude, the penny would start dropping.


Although I agree in principle, I try to keep the f*ckers away from my garden - you only need to be bitten once to realize what a pest they can be. I don't mind all the other types of ants out there, but the weaver ants are nasty. Fortunately, with a bit of planning and pruning of trees they can be kept at bay. Failing that, I set the maid loose to have a feast..... :Smile:

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## msl3232

well what a lot of helpful info, i've got the little buggers everywhere. they are in my rafters in every tree on the property and i'm just starting to do the fence's around the place and they seem to love new concrete, anyway thanks for the info off to town tomorrow to get some chindrite

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## B Shah

> Red ants seem to have taken over my garden, they are everywhere, especialy in trees - zillions of em! 
> How to get rid of em????


Just peel an onion, cut thin slices, place it 3 inches deep in the soil
away from the roots of plants at least a yard apart

Ant Free for a year

B Shah

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## CBYANKS

Try corn meal/  Texas A&M University did a study using it and it worked.  Sprinkle it around the main infestation area.

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## Makmak456

I go through a can every time i am at the family farm. Had a problem at the condo too, but got the VLT TGF to not leave food out. Pretty much problem solved.
If it bites or stings me, fair game. If they invade my living space, same=same.

Other than that the green wiennies can relax

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