To treat a single mound, measure the recommended amount in a measuring cup and sprinkle it on top of and around the mound. Do not disturb the mound. Sprinkle gently to avoid disturbing the colony and washing the granules off the mound. Remember that if you apply less than the recommended amount of water with either liquid concentrates or granular insecticides, you can expect poor results. Unless the product completely penetrates the mound, ants will move to a different site to avoid the poison.
Some products come in aerosol containers to which an injection rod is attached.
The rod is inserted into the mound and the insecticide injected according to label instruction. Diatomaceous earth, a natural silica-based dust, will kill some ants, but is not very effective when the soil is moist, and it rarely eliminates ant colonies when used alone. The effectiveness of products containing pyrethrins and boric acid, as compared to standard insecticides, has not been adequately determined. Prepared by Paul M. Horton and Clyde S. Gorsuch, Extension Entomologists, Clemson University. This information is supplied with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by the Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service is implied.