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Be Careful What You Use to Control Fireants in Your Vegetable Garden

Making It Grow! Minute logo

  Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. For me, weeding is backbreaking work, my back has been hurting for the past month from constantly bending over and pulling out those interlopers. And to add insult to injury, I fairly often get stung by fire ants while I am bent over the squash or tomatoes. Although there are many products that control fire ants, only a few are labeled for use in vegetable gardens and using the wrong ones can be dangerous. You can use baits outside the garden and get some control as fire ants forage at least a hundred feet away from their colony. Extension agent Joel Williamson has put together a comprehensive and well-organized factsheet on safely treating your vegetable garden these pests. Just search “Clemson controlling fire ants in the vegetable garden” and you’ll have information on many safe and effective treatments.

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Amanda McNulty is a Clemson University Extension Horticulture agent and the host of South Carolina ETV’s Making It Grow! gardening program. She studied horticulture at Clemson University as a non-traditional student. “I’m so fortunate that my early attempts at getting a degree got side tracked as I’m a lot better at getting dirty in the garden than practicing diplomacy!” McNulty also studied at South Carolina State University and earned a graduate degree in teaching there.