There is a great organization in Berkley CA. Least Toxic Pest Management. Great for learning about fire ants.
My take is... they are doing a job. If the area is kept clean of everything... including dead bugs etc, they will go away. And they will go away after doing their job.
If it is a "den" then the soap and hot or boiling water down the hole will diminish the population. Just flooding the hole will give them a project... making a float for the queen ... soap reduces service tension and they drown.
I have started using 100% delimonine. (from orange peels) Rodents, ants etc don't like it they avoid the area. I spray around the foundation of the house.
Pretty much, if they aren't coming in I leave them alone... if they are coming in it is for a reason. They are great little cleaners!
Most chemicals on the market are there mainly for one purpose... to make someone a lot of money irregardless of the side effects (possibly mutated great grand children)
(PS: I don't eat granola! I do have a good education however!)

nan c, it is regardless, NOT irregradless. A better education would have taught you that.

petzold6596,

irregadless is a nonstandard word, but is fine for NON-FORMAL writings.

a proper lesson on manners from your parents would have taught you to let this slide. but then again, i guess you did not have parents who felt this necessary.

If the original writer had not stated "I do have a good education however!", I would have let it "side." Oh, by the way, it seems you had parents like mine since you didn't let my comment "side."

i don't know where you see "side", i typed "sLide".

you were being RUDE by bringing up a thread almost 3 weeks old ONLY to slam a previous poster. you could not even post on topic.

grow up. or go to the AOL message boards with the other trolls.