These red brown ants, Solenopsis invicta, may be the most famous, or infamous, insect of the South. Everyone who lives in Fire Ant Country is familiar with the ant. If you asked a person to name ten insects folks living in the south they would list fire ant. Of course there is no way for me to conduct such a survey given the bias that anyone reading this now would have. Of course, you, dear reader, will always include Solenopsis in your list because now that you have started reading this blog, you won’t be able to stop yourself from growing to love the little ant. Like almost anything in life, if you give it attention with an open heart love will grow. But even the most passionate of love still requires boundaries, and that is why Diatoms are the perfect addition to the compassionate gardener’s tool kit. Ants CAN NOT establish their colony in my garage! Also, I need to be able to clear my yard of dangerous ant hills before BBQ’s, Garden Parties, and Children’s Birthdays. That is why Diatoms are the perfect solution for those of us that love the humble insects. We know that we don’t need to kill everything with an exoskeleton, we just need to let the ants know when they have pushed their boundaries.