Most ant species are not invasive and do not bother people and animals. But some ants, particularly the red imported fire ant, are considered invasive pests in the United States and worldwide. The ants have damaged crops, livestock, and other agricultural assets extensively.
There are many ways to control these pests, including using ant bait spreaders or broadcast baits.
Most broadcast seeders can be used for various granular materials, including granular fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides. If you tend or manage a large farm, orchard, or garden, you may need spreaders to distribute ant baits more quickly, evenly, and consistently.
The basics of the ant bait
Bait is a tool to control a pest population. Baits typically contain an insecticide (usually and preferably slow-acting) added with food that the insects (or other pests) find palatable.
Fire ant baits usually consist of corn granules soaked in vegetable oil (often soybean oil) that act as attractants and carriers of an active ingredient, the actual insecticide.
How do fire ant baits work after you apply them?
Worker ants find the bait, collect it, and then take it back to the colony. After consuming the bait, the active ingredient is passed around the colony, leading to the death of the worker ants, the larvae, and the queen.
The type of ant bait depends on the type and size of the property and on how urgent the treatment is. Ant bait can be scattered near the ant nest or spread across the yard or field. After the bait is applied, it breaks down quickly, usually within days.
Suppose you're concerned about ant bait's toxicity. In that case, you can be sure it's generally safe for humans, pets, and other animals, as long as it's used according to label instructions and recommendations.
Ant bait spreaders
Broadcasting ant bait is generally easy to do – there's no need to weigh, measure, or mix the bait with other ingredients before application. It requires just one quick pass over the area to be treated, and you're done.
The most important thing to remember about scattering ant bait, though, is that you must do it in the correct amounts. Over-applying the bait will make the product much less effective in controlling fire ants, aside from potentially endangering the health and safety of humans, other animals, and the environment.
That is why you need to use specialized equipment for scattering ant bait, such as multi-function seeders or spreaders. They do the job much quicker and easier while ensuring that ant bait is distributed evenly and accurately. Ant bait spreaders are inexpensive and can be rented if you only need to use them periodically.
These spreaders and broadcasters from Herd/Kasco apply baits accurately and consistently over large areas, making the treatments effective, economical, and safe for humans and the environment.
GT-77
This broadcast seeder is designed for use with garden tractors, ATVs, or anything with wheels. It features a 12-volt motor with feed control, a galvanized steel hopper, a stainless-steel vibrating agitator to coax slow-feeding material, and a toothed opening plate to control fast-feeding material. The opening gauge easily adjusts material output. In terms of ant bait distribution, it is rated excellent in a 20- to 30-foot swath.
I-92
A higher-capacity electric broadcast seeder/spreader, the Herd Model I‐92, spreads various materials ranging from seed or fertilizer to insecticides or herbicides. It has a 12-volt motor, a durable galvanized hopper, and a spinning agitator (the standard equipment) that gives Herd's Sure‐Feed material through the stainless-steel seed gate. The spread can be centered, and the metering ensures control of the amount of seed distributed. Mounting kits are available for many vehicles, including 3‐point hitch or UTVs (but not ATVs).
M-12
Like other Herd/Kasco seeders and spreaders on the list, the M-12 PTO-powered broadcast spreader distributes a wide variety of materials, including ant baits. The rugged mountings and galvanized hopper provide years of quality performance while the spinning agitator consistently spreads seed, fertilizer, or insecticide. Seed rates can be adjusted down to approximately 2 pounds per acre.
750-3PT Spin Spreader
Herd's model 750‐3PT Broadcaster is versatile as it can broadcast various materials, including seeds, fertilizers, calcium, salts, insecticides, and even ice and snow. You don't have to change gears or parts whether you want to switch from seed to fertilizer or any other material. It works well for smaller acreage jobs in farms, orchards or groves, schools, or parks. The rugged fan assembly provides consistent seeding for almost any material. It is ideal for Category I tractors and has a capacity of 750 lbs. (9.6 bushels).
Each of these broadcast seeders and spreaders has unique features, but all of them are versatile as they can be used to distribute other materials. When it comes to ant bait spreaders, these distribute the bait accurately, evenly, and consistently, rendering them effective in controlling fire ants.