I use very, very little Orthene, Elaine. Perhaps a tbl. spread over a mound. The next morning, I simply hose the mound, and the Orthene seeps into the ground. That's the same thing I do when I put a pinch on some of my mounted stags, I just hose them off. Those aren't fire ants there, they are what I call "sugar-ants". For some reason, these tiny, black, non-stinging ants just love to make a home in my staghorns while they hang in/on my trees during the spring/summer months. I cannot imagine my use of Orthene harms any other insect. I wish it would kill those white grubs when I hose the mound off, but I have a feeling it doesn't faze them.
