Immortal ants!

[LLeigh]

Need some advice on how to get rid of ants that have invaded part of my front yard. I've been working on establishing new grass after I killed all the old weeds that were previously there. Unfortunately, one section of my lawn has numerous ant hills, some quite large and I've yet to be able to get rid of them. This is the 3rd year they've come back. I tried the most ecologically friendly interventions first like diatomaceous earth or soap or vinager, but when those didn't work I tried borax liquid, ortho granules, and terro liquid ant killer. Nothing works. I swear these ants are immortal and they're preventing my new grass from growing well in that section. Any suggestions?
FYI, I live in eastern Maryland. Very sandy soil. The ants are small and brownish. Probably field ants? Not really sure.

-LW

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I have found borax to work. I set up two slates with a small gap between them that an ant can access, but not larger insects, and mixed a commercial ant killer, which was basically borax, with sugar and a touch of honey and smear it between the slates, they collect it and feed it to their young. You need to maintain it, or repeat regularly, so you get the ones that are presently pupae or eggs.

 

[Chuck]

The most effective ant killer I have ever seen are spinosad liquids such as Captain Jacks Bug Killer. There are many other brands as well. Spinosad is made from a soil bacteria and is harmless to pets and people. Just mix 2 oz of spinosad into a gallon of water and drench the mound. Do not disturb the mound beforehand. I have found that a quart of mix is usually sufficient for an average size mound.